Beyond Signal makes transcendental indie music, or TIM for short, in the attempt to mitigate the formulaic, buck trends and make for a refreshing, innovative sound. With roots in the post-punk scene, they consider their greatest- influence to be Joy Division, focusing on strong rhythm, textures and atmospheres that prize authenticity, intensity and introspection over convenience and accessibility.

Their journey to where they are now has been fifteen years in the making, progressing from one genre of music to the next. In the making of their debut album, they have combined a Cyber-ballad, Synth-wave, Dark-wave, Indie-folk and Post-punk.

With Beyond Signal’s debut album, Gaia Algorithmica, out now, we took some time to hear from Beyond Signal. Read below to learn more about Beyond Signal, the story behind Gaia Algorithmica, and what’s to come.

Hi Beyond Signal! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?

Thats something I am asked rather frequently and to be honest, I don’t know! All I know is I was polishing some silverware at a five star hotel that I used to work at, and I was thinking of a decent name for my songwriting career – Beyond Signal was born! I think I was thinking along the lines of signal and how important this is to our daily, hyper-technologised lives. I was trying to think beyond convention and come up with something truly original. It’s just one of those names!

What city are you from, and where are you based now?

I am originally from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in England and moved to Sheffield in order to pursue a masters in music performance, production and business.

At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?

So, music had always been there through my teenage years, and I always had the dream of becoming a singer-songwriter myself. I never just wanted to listen to music, I wanted to write my own, and I discovered that I had a particular knack for guitar chords and original lyrics. From there, I diversified into dabbling with piano and synth and also got very much into electronic music and beat making. It’s only been very recently that I realised that I needed to pursue all aspects of
being a solo artist, and that if I was going to be a success, I needed to take full responsibility for my creative output, from conception through to release. For me, it’s always an ongoing process, I don’t ever want to burn out or become successful too quickly, as so many artists have done in the past.

How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?

Oooo, so, as I like to tell my friends and family, my sound can best be categorised as post-punk and Indie, and for that reason, I would make comparisons to acts like Joy Division, New order and the cure, just for starters. Though my sound is influenced by a much wider sphere of artists than that, from Leonard Cohen to Pj Harvey. I have always been drawn to darker, grittier and more venomous sounds. The oblique, irreverent and captivating. Some newer, more contemporary influences include the likes of Jfarrari, Alone in my room and Molchat Doma. For me, the first of these had the most formative influence on my sound, and he remains a true idol and inspiration in my musical journey. I would also say my sound is highly reminiscent of the late seventies and early eighties.

Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?

I love to learn about interesting things and that involves watching documentaries and reading. Anything that stimulates the intellect really. Chess is another example. And, don’t forget eating and drinking! If you would class that as a hobby, haha. I go for walks as well. Much of the time I find rambling in the countryside can serve to clear the mind and make it much more open to ideas and inspiration.

Who are some of your main musical influences?

So, I read something called the music artist blueprint last year and the author said to choose your ten most important influences. I would deem these to be the following: Jfarrari, Alone in my room, Molchat Doma, Joy division, Leonard Cohen, Pj Harvey, Nirvana, The National, Desire and last but not least, Radiohead. I think Joy division is really the closest comparison.

Who would be your dream collaborator?

That is also hard. There are so many unbelievably gifted artists out there. Gorillaz would be cool. Jfarrari would also be a cool option. I wouldn’t mind playing bass for him in a live show. I think I would be most comfortable playing bass for whoever it was I did collaborate with. Maybe I could sing, but my singing prowess varies wildly depending on what song I’m singing.

What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?

Interesting question. I think the proudest moment of my career so far is, without doubt, the release of my first official music album. I had dabbled a lot in the past, just an amateur making music for fun, but I think this is my first professional venture into the music industry. It’s a pretty strong (although admittedly not perfect) condensing of so much of my own struggles, traumas and musical influences throughout the entirety of my life so far. I feel like I’ve gotten closer to distilling my essence into a cohesive piece of work in that album than with anything else I’ve made, which is saying something, as I am a profusely creative person.

What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?

Gosh, there have been so many. I have been in a couple of short-lived bands and now worked with a producer in a studio, but I think the single most important lesson I have learned, is that to affectively arrive at the exact sound one has in mind, I think its important to take full creative control. I would say my debut album is mixed and mastered about 80% correctly, which is not due to the ineptitude of the producer that I worked with, so much as our creative differences, as well as time restrictions. For my next album, I intend to produce everything myself, so that it’s 100% how I would like it. Having said this, like I say, I am truly enamoured with my first album.

Another big lesson that I have learned, is the importance of brand and marketing in determining the success of your music. You can have the best sounding record going, but if the right people are not hearing it, it will most likely never become a success.

Now onto your release, Gaia Algorithmica. What inspired this album?

Now this is something I love to talk about. Back when I was in the midst of a toxic relationship, I happened to walk passed a bit of graffiti just to the right of an underpass spelling “GA.” Photographing this in my characteristically Vivian Maier style, I came across the picture much
later, and came to writing a song that I named “Gaia Algorithmica.” A year or so later, and after having broken up the relationship, I was listening to Unknown Pleasures and Closer, the two albums by Joy Division, whilst sat cross legged on Pixel studio in my room.

For the cover, I wanted to combine the gothic with the beautiful and so I drew heavily from the single covers of Alone in my room for inspiration. I think a lot transpired on a subconscious level here, and I realised how apt a name “Gaia Algorithmica” was for an album with a partially AI-rendered cover. It was all just so uncanny. The nineteen twenties style cover, rendered by a machine, the nine songs I had recorded in a professional studio. It all just fit together wonderfully. I was, and still am, greatly satisfied with the result.

What is the overall theme of Gaia Algorithmica?

This is really quite complex and abstract. To the point where multiple themes converge and overlap. The three main themes I have pinned down in the ambiguity of it all, are AI, dysfunctional relationships and self-actualisation. Its got a lot to do with finding ones identity in such a confusing, uncertain and anxiety-driven world. In my own life, I have had dozens of failed friendships and also more intimate encounters. So, for me, its my best attempt at communicating the disillusionment and dissatisfaction one can feel in attempting to identity with others. This is such a prevalent and pressing topic in our society, and the irony is, I am far from alone in experiencing these feelings. Its about making my mark and demonstrating, on every level, the power of individual thought, and embracing ones own uniqueness in the midst of so much conformity. I could go on forever about this, but I won’t, instead, you can watch me ramble on about it in full on my YouTube channel “the signal.”

What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for Gaia Algorithmica?

Alone in my room’s single-cover art was the main one. But my love for anime, 1920s female fashion, and the novelty of AI-rendered imagery all played a part.

What was the creative process like when making Gaia Algorithmica?

Sheer joy. When recording each of the songs in Tesla, now Tecna studios, Sheffield, it was simply a dream-come true. I now had the resources and expertise at hand to deliver on my creative potential. When recording each of the performances for the nine songs, I didn’t actually anticipate that I would combine them into an album. I was originally going to release them two at a time, or in an EP. Track one and two were going to be an A and B side. Questions through to The power to dream is everything were going to be on an EP, the name of which you will hopefully be finding to be the name of my sophomore album.

Then, track eight and nine were going to be another A and B side. With the help of Jeremy Pritchard from the band Everything Everything, I surmised that the first seven songs fit together nicely. The final two, I found, also contributed something. There were mixed emotions in the making of all nine songs. I think The power to dream is everything was the most arduous and demanding to make. I remember I found it really hard to communicate to the engineer exactly how I wanted it to sound. But, we got there and I am enormously grateful that she helped make my dream a reality.

How long did it take to complete Gaia Algorithmica?

All in all, I believe it took seven to eight months to complete. This was largely due to the huge gaps in-between recording sessions. I made use of some mastering software to iron out some of the flaws in the sound, caused by a lack of time and a lack of funding. It did make a big
difference to my mind, and by the 25th of June 2025, I was ready to unveil her to the world. I even walked round the suburbs surrounding my parents house, listening to all the songs back to back on headphones, in the attempt to get them as good as I could get them. They were amazing enough having been recorded in a professional studio, but I got them even closer to how I wanted them by listening and by making subtle but important improvements to the sound.

Is there a specific song on Gaia Algorithmica that speaks to you the most? If so, why?

That is really hard. I think they all speak to me with the same potency to be honest. Songs like the “Hyper-normal” are more to do with the world, then songs like “Wednesday” and “the Power to dream” is everything feel much more personal. “Electric village” is another one of these songs. So whilst they all speak to me on the same level, they do so in different ways.

What message or messages do you hope fans take away from Gaia Algorithmica and your music in general?

The most positive message, is to celebrate our diversity and uniqueness. In such a hyper-technologised and algorithm-driven world, it is easy to feel separate, disillusioned and angry. This album is about realising that if we can find the courage, we can overcome our limitations.

What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?

I will be working on a second album in the not too distant future. First, I feel I need to get up to scratch with the practical side of my life. I have already recorded five demos for the sixteen-song sophomore I plan on releasing either the 23rd of January 2027 or 2028. Right now, I am relishing all the attention and praise for this current album. As for shows, well, I am hoping to perform my “Lunar four” project every two weeks up until the end of May at “The Greenroom” in Sheffield. This includes my first entirely self-produced single, the first two songs of Gaia Algorithmica, and then what will probably be the opening song on my next album, “The flame with no name.” You can already see the beginnings of my live performance on my Instagram, though I fully acknowledge I have some way to go.

Where can we follow you on social media?

https://www.instagram.com/beyond_signal
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-trezise-51b4406a
https://youtube.com/@beyond_signal

Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!