Boombox Records ‘Zhyvyi’ in Scotland: A Song Born from the Frontlines and Raw Emotion

In February 2025, Andrii Khlyvniuk posted a poem on his Instagram Stories with a heart-wrenching refrain: “There is no fault of yours in the fact that you are alive.”

The band rarely gets the chance to come together to work on new music since frontman Andrii Khlyvniuk serves in the Defense Forces. That’s why Boombox now creates its songs directly in the studio – almost live, during the recording process.

That’s how their new track “Zhyvyi” (“Alive”) was born: written and recorded at Gorbals Sound Recording Studio in Glasgow, Scotland, in just two days.

Band members Pavlo Lytvynenko, Inna Nevoit, Dmytro Kuvalyn, Oleksandr Liuliakin, Valentyn Matiiuk, and Andrii Khlyvniuk, together with sound engineer Kevin Burleigh, recorded the first version of “Zhyvyi” – originally 5 minutes and 47 seconds long – later shortened to 5:05.

“‘Zhyvyi’ (‘Alive’) was created right there in the studio, almost from scratch. On the first day, we recorded the drums and guitars; on the second – the bass, keyboards, vocals, and DJ parts. Gorbals is a great European analog studio, and it suited us so well that we flew five hours just to spend two days there working,” said Khlyvniuk.

“Normally it’s smarter to come with rehearsed material and just record it. But in recent years, we haven’t had that opportunity – and I’ve actually started to enjoy this process. We’re not merely recording; we’re inventing and capturing ideas on the spot. I’m very happy with how this track turned out – the sound is great, and it’s a bit heavier than our previous work.”

During the recording of “Zhyvyi,” Stas Hurenko – Khlyvniuk’s brother-in-arms from the 212 Team unit, who has been collaborating with Boombox as a video director and documentarian – was also present. Hurenko is filming “Almost Alive,” a documentary about the making of the song, which may become the band’s most powerful film yet.

“At first, there was only a guitar riff – and by the next day, it had to become a song. And it did, because where else could it go?” said DJ Valentyn “Valik” Matiyuk. “It reminded me of how we worked on ‘Bezodnia’ (‘The Abyss’) – you come to the studio not knowing what you’ll write, and it just happens.”

The song premiered live at Atlas Weekend on July 18, 2025. Despite an air raid alert interrupting the show, around 30,000 fans still got to hear “Zhyvyi” for the first time.

“Andrii sent us a draft I had totally forgotten about – from 2019. We turned that jam into a song. I love this kind of experimentation: coming with nothing, jamming, and ending up with something great,” said drummer Oleksandr Liuliakin.

The music video for “Zhyvyi” was directed by Stas Hurenko and stars Petro Konoplia – an actor and combat medic who was wounded in service. In the video, he plays a soldier on short leave returning home for a few days.

“I used to think this kind of spontaneous recording was nonsense. But now I realize it’s amazing – you can surprise yourself. When you just improvise and capture that moment, it often turns out better than if you’d overworked it,” said guitarist Dmytro Kuvalyn. “The original riff was only four bars – I didn’t think we’d turn it into a full song.”

The artwork – in two versions – was created by @yakim_super_fresh, known to Boombox fans for designing the band’s military-style “B” logo.

“A song is a piece of art. It’s born from nothing – from yourself, from inspiration. The lyrics, too, come from personal experience,” added keyboardist Pavlo Lytvynenko.

Producer Oleksii Sohomonov said the idea of recording in Scotland came from Khlyvniuk years ago:

“Even before the full-scale war, Andrii said he’d love to work in a Scottish studio, like Led Zeppelin – with the landscapes, the sheep, and the Guinness. Gorbals Sound overlooks an old auto shop, a pub, and a bus stop. Led Zeppelin never recorded here, but they would have liked it.”

Ahead of the song’s release, the @boomboxfamilymerch store launched a capsule collection – two “Zhyvyi” T-shirts, a tote bag, and a mug – with all proceeds going to the Andrii Khlyvniuk Foundation.

Khlyvniuk describes “Zhyvyi” as an unusual mix of hip-hop and rock:

“It’s about the reality we’ve lived through in recent years – a way to shake off that state. There’s a line: ‘Beyond the last checkpoint, rock’n’roll ends.’ It’s not a metaphor. Once you cross into the combat zone, all music stops. You have to stay alert. That’s where civilian life ends.”

Documentary premiere: “Almost Alive” – October 8, 10:00 a.m.

Music video premiere: “Zhyvyi (Alive)” – October 10, 10:00 a.m.

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