Formed in the Fall of 2007 out of band Lye (and before that Aphasia), vocalist Brett Carruthers and bassist Stephany Seki began jamming with drummer Stu Dead, founder of Playdead Cult, a clothing brand and creative lifestyle house located in Toronto.

[1][2] In 2007, the band self-produced the video for "Death on Wheels" [3] alongside Frankenstein cheerleaders as part of the 2007 L'Oréal Fashion Week,[4] which was voiced by Martin Streek.

[10] In the spring of 2009 the group founded the music festival VIVA LOS MUERTOS (2009 line-up featuring The Birthday Massacre, for whom Brett had performed live keyboards for during their Fall 2004 tour).

[11] The festival included "Major merch sales, dancing Playdead mascots and an eclectic long-weekend crowd that collectively offered plenty for the live eye".

[12] The festival had an "overwhelmingly good response", according to the band, hoping to further secure the creation and maintenance of a dynamic "Death Rock" scene in Toronto.

Later on in 2009, the band's self-produced debut video for "Death on Wheels", voiced by veteran Toronto radio DJ Martin Streek,[13] caught the attention of the production crew for the vampire musical movie Suck.

[22][23] The band's debut album A.P.E., released in early December 2009,[24] was produced by Matthew Von Wagner, (Crystal Castles, Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker, Alpha Galates) and Brett Carruthers.

A.P.E., according to the band, is grounded on a few common themes: the single "Death on Wheels" draws inspiration from classic exploitation horror films, while others like "Dead End" are thinly veiled love songs.

[28] Recorded at their self-built Desolation Studios in Toronto, Becoming features many exciting Canadian collaborations including writer/producer Ian D’Sa from Billy Talent and audio engineer Kenny Luong.