Thomas Szirmay’s multitude of music reviews have educated the world in such rich language on both Prog Archives, and latterly, his own Facebook page. His knowledge is, I believe, without parallel in our progressive musical world.
I was, I admit, surprised when he told me in 2023 that he was to collaborate on a musical project with his old friend, founding member of Men Without Hats, and a true electronica pioneer, Jeremie Arrobas. Their debut album was Telepathic Waves, and in 2026, they release the fourth (busy they certainly are), Divided By One on 5th June – you can read all my ESM reviews by typing in the band name on the search bar near the top of the homepage of the website.
There is definite, and quite deliberate, evolution here, and the movement towards a more complete progressive rock leaning complimenting the electronic pop/rock was rewarded by the exceptional label, Progrock.com Essentials, signing them up for 2025’s release, Imperfect Silence, and now Divided By One. This is a label committed to quality, so this signing should not be discarded in your mind.
Joining Arrobas & Szirmay as members of the band are the bass genius that is Hansford Rowe, thankfully recovered to play a full role, and the class guitarist, Alain Belaiche. Further, there are some impressive guest spots, which I shall expand upon when discussing the individual tracks. There are nine of them on an album of just over an hour of music, including a brave cover of an all-time classic to close. Aside from this, Arrobas wrote all the music, with lyrical duties shared with Thomas.
This is a darker effort than the previous album, and its overarching themes of humanity’s constant maelstrom of mistakes, thinking that technological advances over the millennia are a substitute for understanding living by instinct, because conflict, poverty, division continue to stalk this world of ours, The Red King waiting to pounce.
The title track kicks off proceedings, and I will be playing this on my radio show of 30th May. We have an official video to share with you. War, our eternal companion, the images of the last great conflagration looming large, and then the bass groove to die for, some ghostly guitar (Steve Bonino contributes on guitars here). The band announce the album with a statement of massive intent, Arrobas with a distinct edge to the haunting vocal, Szirmay playing the part of the announcer, and Jeremie’s daughter, Anna, contributing voice, all wrapped in a bubble of jazz fusion around a core electronic military dystopia, The Red King orchestrating our fate.
Chaos Dreaming is the first of two tracks over the nine-minute-mark, perhaps inviting us to look deeply into our loved one’s eyes, soul, self, and see the chaos inherent in the human condition, but that mutual orbit of love keeps us together. A pulsing start gives way to a pretty passage interspersed by effects, the sense of melody heightened by a thundering bass riff and guitars combining with sound machines which add a rich soundscape, a hint of Oldfield in the ringing bells, which is swept away by an entirely unexpected spartan burst of funk from the speakers, the closing passage reminiscent of Yes in their more introspective moments, so quite the eclectic mix on this.
Sirens were mythological half bird, half female human, who lured sailors to their death with irresistible Sirensong, so think Odysseus in his journey from Troy. The voices on this from Anna are suitably enigmatic, with Arrobas’s lead vocal luring the listener into the story, a delicate fragility in the narrative, the accompanying music rather catchy, a drumbeat mimicking the oars hitting the sea, the guitars and bass providing the movement to the shore that simply cannot be resisted, the intensity rising beautifully towards the denouement. The more I listen to this track, the more I fall in love with it, and it is a contender for “track of 2026” on this website’s annual awards.
Pool of Mirrors references the fact that history is not always an accurate reference point, but is, of course, written by the winners, the survivors, and even in personal, individualistic terms, we tend to forget what really happened, but instead, place our own interpretation on it, usually to our own aggrandisement. There is a gorgeous retro psych feel to the vocal chorus, and Arrobas oozes emotion on this vocal, the melodies deeply enticing, a reflective piece of music which proves beyond any doubt that progressive rock does not need to be impenetrable, it can take its influences from across the spectrum, be accessible, mix emotions even in the context of digital instruments achieved by the counterbalance of some gorgeous traditional fretwork.
Heaven’s Rain follows, which can fall all over the world, but we need to find the way, the path, to let it fall upon us, to take away the pain, to achieve our ultimate destiny of soaring through the cosmos at peace with each other, all set against the love of a special person in the here and now. I just adore the mellotron infused opening to this, and as we develop the vocal theme, the Hansford Rowe bass takes us on a melodic bass journey, simply dripping with class, then Belaiche adding such sensitive soul notes against the soaring ‘tron in an extended instrumental passage which brings home to the listener the potential for beauty engrained within each and every one of us. Gorgeous and indispensable.
Screaming Sound Machines, a great take on the band’s name, screaming all the time, with nothing ventured, nothing gained, an adjective for this musical venture for sure. On this, Bonino returns to add his guitar textures, and there is a symmetry between high and low frets and keys, Arrobas turning in an angry vocal, with, indeed, the whole piece taking on a heavy and dark scenario, the guitars leading the night charge.
On Heavy Water, we are close to the end, the crimson red button poised to wreak havoc, destruction, dark desires. The guitars on the first part are provided by Roland Buhlmann, the Swiss master who I know Thomas had extended exchanges with this past year, and he adds a unique texture to proceedings. It is a brooding piece, accusatory fear abounding, minimalist thumping power to the fore, then at the five-minute-mark power asserts itself with the guitars screaming out across the ether, the vocal harmonies trancey, the whole piece swirling in your head, a powerful display of hard, psych, post-rock, entirely modern, with excerpts of sheer beauty amidst the noise.
The final original piece is Inviolate Fields, with Quinn Bachand adding violin, and the featured guest vocalist, the remarkable talent of Laura Piazzai (Imaginaerium), given free rein to vent her inner “great gig in the sky”, and taking advantage in only the way she can, a favourite vocalist in this household demonstrating yet again why, holding the entire track together with emotive voice and words. This is the longest track here, just short of the epic length, and is gloriously atmospheric. The guitar work is to die for on this track, bursts of energy perfectly accompanying Laura’s voice, some of the bass flurry’s so good that you pause, rewind, and confirm to yourself that, yes, you really did hear that combination of notes, all the while Arrobas and Szirmay creating sounds that, to borrow a title, really can’t be made with an eastern-infused flavour. Quite superb.
As noted at the top, the album closes with a brave choice of cover, and it was the first single released, the video embedded below for you. Now, Tubeway Army’s Are Friend’s Electric is an extremely iconic piece of music, launching the career of one of the most influential of modern artists, still producing incredible original music nearly fifty years on. Visually stunning, and in the context of the wider album, it works, especially Thomas’s spoken words which bring the themes full circle, the understated guitar riffs perfect, the bass guitar the glue, The Red King unleashing the end.
The start of this review referenced my friendship with Thomas. He and I have worked together for a long time now, and we have always balanced our friendship and taste with honesty. We both have a policy of avoiding as far as possible needlessly negative reviews, instead respecting artists enough to be honest where we feel unable to add positive value, and that friendship is robust enough for me to feel able to carry that through to this late flowering of musical releases, so when I state that this fine album comes highly recommended, it is done so with the musical knowledge and taste I carry with me that I know holds some small measure of influence in the progressive rock world, that when I state I really enjoy an album, I know that those of you who act upon such recommendations and part with hard-earned cash do so with some confidence in my words. It is on that basis alone that I suggest you go to https://enigmaticsoundmachines.bandcamp.com/album/divided-by-one-24-bit-hi-res