“It was meant to be built and then burned down,” said Paul McGough, bassist of the Kitchener - Waterloo-based indie rock band Vacuity. McGough was referring to the model town he built using more than 15,000 matchsticks.

The model town, which was built using almost only matchsticks and hot glue, took months to create. Originally, it started as a small art project in which McGough put together a few matchstick buildings and a matchstick mountain, but he continued to develop the town after encouragement from the band. It's now so large that it fills up an entire room.

To promote their third studio album, The Black Hour, the band plans to send the town up in flames during the shooting of an upcoming music video. Not only are matches easy to burn, but “the concept goes with the title of the album, so it's very dark. The match itself is representative of The Black Hour,” said McGough.

But until it's burned down, the band plans to carry pieces of the matchstick town with them on their CD release tour. The band is hitting six different cities in Southern Ontario, including their hometown area of Kitchener-Waterloo. The guys made a stop in London on June 28 on their CD release tour. The small one-set show was at the London Music Club and included songs off the new album. Their onstage performance matched the quality and production of their studio album for an overall excellent show. The last stop on the tour is in Windsor on July 7.

The album, which was released June 26, features 11 original tracks that can be downloaded in just about any format you want. “Fire, darkness and pushing westward” are the main themes on The Dark Hour, said vocalist Rob McFee. He added that the band found inspiration from the Western-themed video game Red Dead Redemption. “All our stuff is kind of indie or alternative rock.” With their catchy beats and intricate guitarwork, Vacuity certainly has a unique sound that's worth checking out.

If you're looking for more information about Vacuity, their tour dates or where to buy the new album, check out vacuity.net.