7/10

There’s a deliberate sense of structure and erosion running through 'Pillars'. Built across years of collaboration, the debut EP from Signal-23 feels like a carefully assembled environment, where tension, texture, and space are treated as core elements rather than supporting details.

From the outset, the EP establishes a clear identity rooted in hardware-driven production. Modular synthesis, drum machines, and tape-based processes give the release a tactile quality. And that physicality becomes central to the listening experience, as tones bend, distort, and decay in ways that mirror the project’s architectural themes.

'Pieces' opens the EP with a sense of intimacy, its origins in a simple recorded fragment still audible in the room-like resonance that surrounds it. There’s a fragility here that sets the tone, as if the structure is still forming before us. As the EP progresses into 'Pillars' and 'Reset', that foundation begins to expand. These tracks introduce a more rhythmic focus, balancing atmospheric layering with driving, hypnotic percussion. The builds are gradual, favouring accumulation over sudden impact, and the result is a controlled sense of momentum that never feels forced.

While 'Decay' marks a shift in intensity. Low-end pressure and sharper rhythmic elements push the EP into more unstable territory, where restraint gives way to something heavier and more unpredictable. It’s the most confrontational moment on the collection, yet it remains consistent with the overall aesthetic.

But closing track 'Pillars (Ambient)' strips everything back. Without percussion, the focus turns entirely to tone and movement, allowing the core motifs of the EP to reemerge in a more reflective form. It functions as a returning to the origins of the sound while also offering a sense of resolution.

What defines 'Pillars' is its cohesion, as the themes of construction and deterioration are embedded in the music itself, shaping how each track evolves and interacts. There’s a clear sense of intention behind every element, yet enough openness to keep the experience fluid.

As a debut EP, it’s a confident and measured statement that prioritises atmosphere and continuity over immediacy, and in doing so, establishes a distinct foundation for what follows.