Rising Galaxy, Arcane Trickster - Borrowed Signal

Released: September 10

Even with sitting at just three tracks, Borrowed Signal is far more varied that you might expect. Each of the three tracks gives us something markedly different but still stays on task as far as providing spacey and  psychedelic vibes throughout. The first of the trio, “Circumnavigation,” is our ambient introduction into this world with a slow and gradual start, gently unfurling pads that layer delicately over one another in lush and leafy fashion. The evolution of this one is subtle, the textures are well-developed, and the soft accents on the sides of this gently glowing soundscape are just the perfect amount of ear candy.

Moving into the second piece, “Borrowed Signal,” fully fleshed out beats become the driving force. It certainly feels like a callback to the goa/psytrance era but slowed down and relaxed. Even with the pulsing bass and arpeggiated synths, it remains calm and takes its time to develop. I would put this track as a great one to ride around a fluorescent city at night. But as we come to the final track, things take a surprising turn. What I expected was another lovely little ambient track to kind of sandwich the EP. And I kind of got that, but “Easing” feels surprisingly eerie and haunting. It is the closest thing here to a dark ambient track. That said, it really only stands out as dark in comparison. But the textures are amazing here, especially this  lovely quickly oscillating sound that has an almost insect-like quality to it. Then when it gets juxtaposed against some of the more heavenly synth sounds, there’s this lovely bit of clash that sprouts up and fades quickly, adding a bit of spice to things. Fantastic track and an interesting way to cap off this short adventure.