What strikes me most in case of Pulse State is the approach to an audience. As Mike Phipps, the man behind the project says, 'the album is being offered at no charge as a way of saying "thank you" to the fans who have patiently waited for so long'. Sounds awesome, doesn't it?
The review could be ended in this point, as everyone can check the album themselves with no risk, but I'd like to make it clear that this is a very good release. The fact that it's free doesn't mean that it wouldn't be worth paying for. Undoubtedly it would be worth purchasing, as Pulse State seems to be as good as VNV Nation, Code 64 and other appreciated bands. The production is impeccable - it's definitely not low-end product or economy-class journey. Pulse State flies high, among the most notable futurepop bands. Sometimes it sounds like the bands I've already mentioned, sometimes it's close to Assemblage 23, Solitary Experiments and even Seabound. However, such similarities are not always an advantage, as you're rather unlikely to immediately recognise these songs clearly as Pulse State work if you hear it in a club. On the other hand, if you agree that in this genre there isn't much room for innovations, you'll certainly like this release as Pulse State definitely isn't a copycat.

'With a Single Step' consists both of emotional songs (January Love, Reconciliation) and potential club hits (Innocence, Watching Over). It doesn't make the album inconsistent though. Neither the fact that it was recorded in a long period of time does. These 9 tracks make a well-thought entity which would be attractive enough as a traditional release, and as a web release it is absolutely a must for fans of futurepop.