The Nawrockis
release a third album

Thrunkit! is innovative, haunting, frenetic, and compelling

By Irwin Rapoport

July 10, 2025

The popular sibling duo of Ukrainian-Polish-Canadians Vivian and Norman Nawrocki, who form The Nawrockis, recently released Thrunkit!, their third album, an online release only on Bandcamp.
On this album, Vivian, an accomplished pianist and composer, plays drums, with Norman on the violin.

According to their record label, Les Pages Noires, “Thrunkit! is a radical departure from their previous two albums of traditional Ukrainian/Polish folk music and features Vivian behind a full drum kit. More of an indie experimental drums and treated violin post-punk opus, the album offers twelve new original improvised compositions. The musical smorgasbord of raunchy and raw, bold sonic explorations draws in part on the duo’s Ukrainian-Polish cultural heritage. The selections range from fuzz-drenched ambient soundscapes to lively drum-driven, folk-themed melodies, layered with sampled/looped violin drones and effects.”

The Nawrockis Thrunkit CD cover The album has a haunting presence, which very much appealed to my tastes. The divergent musical styles are both familiar and, at the same time, eclectic, giving the impression that Norman and Vivian are supported by a full band. The single tracks hold their own and, when joined together, are a dynamic musical experience. The songs incorporate many familiar themes and styles. Combined, they are very effective. At times, the music is frenetic, fast-paced, and simultaneously, each moment is memorable. Thrunkit! reminds me of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music, just a little more energetic.

I really enjoyed the album and will listen to their two previous full-length albums, The Nawrockis LIVE and The Nawrockis BORSCHT, as well as their single, Marusya Nikiforova, to fully appreciate their talents and musical stylings.

Vivian, who lives in Vancouver, also plays ukulele, accordion, keyboards and wind instruments, and only recently started playing a full drum kit. In the past, she has composed and played mostly piano music for the soundtracks of Norman’s series of Ukrainian-Polish-Canadian plays.

Norman, a veteran of Montreal’s underground music scene, has an international reputation as a violinist, frontman, composer, and recording artist with his many bands. Thrunkit! is his 36th album. The Nawockis have played across Canada since 2019, performing many humanitarian aid fundraisers for Ukraine.

Thrunkit! was recorded live in Vancouver and Montreal studios and mixed and mastered by renowned Montreal sound engineer Greg Smith. I am looking forward to seeing them live in Montreal this December.

Norman, a veteran of Montreal’s underground music scene, has an international reputation as a violinist, frontman, composer, and recording artist with his many bands. Thrunkit! is his 36th album. The Nawockis have played across Canada since 2019, performing many humanitarian aid fundraisers for Ukraine.

In the Q&A below, Vivian and Norman Nawrocki discuss the making of Thrunkit! and their music:

WM: How did The Nawrockis come together as a musical project?

Vivian: We grew up in Vancouver, where our father played the piano and sang while our mother would sing and sometimes play the Hawaiian guitar. Being of Polish and Ukrainian descent, we heard songs from each country. As kids, we took music lessons and would stage musical concerts at home. Despite living apart now, I suggested in 2019 that we try playing together again since we had both individually maintained and pursued our musical abilities and interests. For me, that meant playing the ukulele, piano and some percussion. We had fun playing together again, so we formed a duo. Norman was already playing Eastern European music in his other bands, so we tried the same songs and it worked!

Norman: I’ve always been impressed with my sister’s piano playing, but never realized how talented she was! Ironically, I’m the one who pursued a musical career. She became a nurse and, ultimately a nurse practitioner. After decades of not playing together, when we finally explored the possibilities of playing online long distance, it clicked! We gelled musically and had fun practicing! We played traditional Ukrainian/Polish songs in public, small shows at first, to test audience responses, then bigger stages, touring Canada, recording, and continuing to evolve musically.

The Nawrockis recording their latest CD

WM: You present your new album, The Nawrockis Thrunkit!, as being different from your previous releases. How so? Were the twelve songs composed in advance?

Vivian: Not at all! We composed them on the spot, each expressing our individual creativity, taking turns adding more “thoughts” or “ideas” to it. It’s like meeting someone new and starting a conversation that develops into a full-blown interaction. For us, it is about finding common ground musically. Our first album was recorded live at a Ukrainian benefit; the next two in studios with overdubs and more instrumentation of well-known traditional folk songs and wedding dance music.

Thrunkit! presents our original drums and violin compositions recorded live on the spot in studios. It’s also my debut as a drummer, and I play a full drum kit! Nothing else. This album is completely experimental. We agreed: “Play, whatever you want!” I’d start with a beat, Norman would add a melody, and we’d build on the result.

Norman: It’s also different because it’s more adventurous. We followed our musical instincts, creating and composing as we went along, not knowing where we would end up. We gave ourselves freedom to express ourselves musically with no restrictions, no restraints. Unfettered total improvisation, listening to and anticipating each other’s sense of direction, weaving in and out of each other’s creativity, searching for a groove, a shared sound wave to ride together. The pieces veer from our previous work, but are still rooted in our Polish/Ukrainian heritage. For me, it was impressive to watch and listen to Vivian become more and more confident behind the drum kit, exploding with creative energy and beats.

WM: How did you conceive and create the music for the new album?

Vivian: We’d enter the studios and have no idea what we would play. For me, it was also how to play it since I was still learning the different sounds of the drums and cymbals. Norman has played violin all his life, but for me, drumming is still a new practice. I was starting to teach myself. The album came together as we listened to each other, played off each other, both making “music.” It somehow magically came together!

‘We want to use our music to express, comment on, and give our support to people, like those in Ukraine and other war-torn zones. It’s music for enjoyment, but we also hope to provoke thoughts and provide reminders to others that everyone’s life is vastly different and sometimes can be very difficult and challenging.’

– Vivian Nawrocki

Norman: It’s actually quite remarkable that we recorded in studios only a few times over one year without a plan, but wanting to explore her newly discovered love of playing drums. We never tried playing drums and violin together online, yet we left each recording session with exciting new drum-happy compositions! Our twelve tunes on Thrunkit! are non-traditional. Edgy. Unclassifiable. Some incorporate minor traditional Ukrainian or Polish musical motifs, and sound like familiar songs, but they’re not.

WM: On Thrunkit! Norman plays the violin as usual, but Vivian does not play the ukulele or keyboards as she did on your other albums, just drums. Why the switch?

Vivian: One year ago, I sat down behind a studio drum kit and tried to play. I’ve always been interested in rhythm, and Norman bought me some bongo drums for one of my teen birthdays. I would sit on the floor at home and try to play along with songs on the radio. But I eventually returned to the piano. However, trying a full drum kit was really fun!

Norman: It was an inspiring discovery for us to hear our new drum/violin sound. Clearly, our musical horizons would expand exponentially – explode, actually. She’s always had a great sense of rhythm, and combined with her formal piano training, she’s a natural behind the drum kit. She brings a rich “musicality” to her rhythms. Her sense of melodic percussion is incredible. A radio DJ/producer/musician in Taiwan said, “Vivian’s drumming outshines the White Stripes’ Meg.” He’s interviewing us for Radio Taiwan International.

WM: How did you choose the titles for each track, since they are quite thought-provoking?

Vivian: Deliberately so. We want to use our music to express, comment on, and give our support to people, like those in Ukraine and other war-torn zones. It’s music for enjoyment, but we also hope to provoke thoughts and provide reminders to others that everyone’s life is vastly different and sometimes can be very difficult and challenging. Especially when invaders occupy your homeland. Hopefully, our music and titles will help listeners do that.

Norman: Our titles also reflect our musical influences, and we’re thinking as we listen back to the pieces. For example, Carpathian Rapture captures a joyous mood with people living in total freedom, peace and security. Notes for the Poets of Ternopilska refers to the poets in this Ukrainian region still writing while the invaders continue to wage war against them. Samira Rides Across Bukovina is meant to encourage thinking about what it will take to return to peaceful times in Ukraine.

WM: What are The Nawrockis planning for the future? More albums, shows, and touring?

Norman and Vivian: We have a new online-only single coming out later this summer, a drum and violin environmental spoken word piece about the climate crisis and what to do to stop it. No more touring yet, but we’re always open to serious formal invitations! We’re producing a film to accompany Thrunkit! for YouTube.

normannawrocki.bandcamp.com/music
youtube.com/@NormanNawrockiNN

Images: courtesy of The Nawrockis