Life in Vacuum Record Release Show

Math rock. Noise rock. Post punk or post hardcore. You could use any combination of those terms and dozens more to describe Life in Vacuum, though more accurately, you could just say, “undiluted urgency in audio form.”

The Toronto-based trio delivers an explosive, high-energy brand of aggressive rock that laces merciless but musical melodies and passionate vocals with rhythms seemingly spit out by an angry calculator. The result is many things: compelling, hypnotic, menacing, but most of all, undeniably magnetic.

Brothers Ross and Sasha Chornyy never played music together in their native Ukraine, though that changed upon immigrating to Canada in 2004. The pair – Ross on drums and Sasha on guitar and vocals – formed a band that was admittedly far removed from Life in Vacuum’s perfectly calculated chaos; then, they were introduced to acts like At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta, and Refused, and everything changed.

“The idea was always kind of rooted in punk, but we were set on experimenting with different sounds and styles and effects,” Sasha explains. The brothers wrote and recorded demo after demo, slowly distilling their sound to the potent product displayed on 2010’s Commander Clark. In 2014 and dropped their acclaimed LP 5. The offering showcased an uncompromising sonic cocktail combining the propulsive riffs of Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes with the in-your-face intensity of Comadre and Metz. Their self-titled follow-up in 2015 was the perfect chaser, cementing the band as one of the most unique and noteworthy acts playing Southern Ontario’s punk circuit. In 2018 the band followed up with  All You Can Quit where chemistry is outright combustible. The 11 tracks showcase Life in Vacuum’s dynamic sound shifting seamlessly from raw aggression to intricate and ethereal delicacy – always musical, always awesome. Sasha’s vocals are weightier than ever before, anchoring the tracks in pure intensity and emotion.

            Coming off a busy year touring the band started working on new material for their next LP and nurtured the tracks throughout the pandemic. Looking to add a fresh perspective from outside their sonic realm, Life In Vacuum joined forces with producer/engineer Graham Walsh(Metz, Dilly Dally, Holy Fuck, Preoccupations, Bloc Party) The result might be 10 most eloquent and defined tracks the band has been able to deliver to date.

Life In Vacuum have long embodied that idea, touring rigorously in their time together and bringing their high-energy, piss-and-vinegar performances everywhere, from raucous house shows in sweaty Toronto basements to tours throughout the U.S., Europe, and South America. They’ve shared stages with the likes of MeWithoutYou, PUP, Metz, …The Trail Of Dead, Birds In Row and performed at high-profile events at SXSW, The Fest, NXNE, and Canadian Music Week. “I think that’s the most satisfying thing for us,” Sasha admits – “just going somewhere new and playing your music for people.”


with Burner, Happy99, Animatist