I must admit, this album caught my attention because of its name. And because it's a one-woman band. Born in Bangladesh and raised in England, programmer-singer-etc. Shikhee pinpoints where goth morphed into industrial with chilly synths and driving, danceable beats. Old-school goth and industrial fans not satisfied with what the genre has evolved into can find solace in The Dividing. A searing, emotional volatility courses around romantic disillusionment so barren and consuming that Shikhee sounds on the verge of implosion. The music fits the themes perfectly, and her vocal style of alternating between singing and growling exudes just the right amounts of betrayal and menace. Like the best goth artists, Shikhee understands the link between desire and darkness, and she knows that without poetry, aggression devours everything. The Dividing is indignation dressed up with nowhere to go on a Friday night but inward; nonetheless, it's adorned in a lovely righteousness.
