Canadian feminist Punks blend Garage Rock cool with Power Pop punch!
Montreal’s Taxi Girls herald their arrival with ‘Static‘, their debut full-length album, out on 26th June via Stomp Records. Formed in 2022, this dynamic garage punk rock band were born from the city’s vibrant underground music scene Across thirteen tracks, Taxi Girls pull together giant hooks, sharp songwriting, dual-vocal chemistry, and a deep appreciation for the women who made rock and roll dangerous, stylish, and impossible to ignore.
There are flashes of The Runaways, Girlschool, Nikki Corvette, The Donnas, Joan Jett and The No Talents, combined with the melodic punch of classic power pop throughout the record, but never as imitation. These songs feel less like homage and more like continuation.
Meet Taxi Girls:
Vera Bozickovic on guitar and vocals
Jamie Radu on bass and vocals
Gabrielle Bégin on guitar
Lynn Poulin on drums
The city of Montreal is everywhere on ‘Static‘, not as subject matter, but as perspective. It’s the sound of a band raised on great records, great stories, and the belief that a three-minute song can still change your day.
While the album carries plenty of swagger, it also reveals a band willing to dig deeper. Across ‘Static‘, Taxi Girls explore love, loss, mental health, postpartum depression, self-doubt, and the strange comfort of nostalgia. The songs don’t offer neat conclusions or easy answers. Instead, they trace the difficult path toward self-acceptance, resilience, and learning when to let go of the things that no longer serve you.
‘Static‘ opens with a bang on first single release ‘Say It!‘. The dual-vocal dynamic shifts effortlessly from sweet to scathing, mirroring themes of resilience, self-realization and the courage to speak plainly. It’s an absolute scorcher of a garage punk song, complete with handclaps, on-point melodies and rhythms, and a gravel-toned chorus:
I do love a melodic bass line, and ‘Try Harder‘ is undepinned by a fabulous one! Women are always being given the advice to “try harder” at everything, but that glass ceiling still exists, and no matter how hard we try, it seems we’re always at a perpetual disadvantage. Good point well made by Taxi Girls!
The funky and sultry ‘Red Flag Crush‘ always pulls us in – but is this ‘toxic temptaion’ worth the heartbreak? Sublime vocal harmonies rock this number along, topped off with a gutsy guitar solo. I adore the cynical “Are you kidding me?” at the end! It’s hard not to draw comparison with LA rock legends The Go-Go’s in ‘Auto Hysterics‘. Catchy-as-fuck rock’n’roll with those trademark vocal harmonies, it’s another belter!
Reminiscing upon the past in ‘So Quaint‘, the rosy glow of the memories of an old romance are tempered with the recollection of the mistakes that were also made – a good reminder not to idealise our history too much.
Most recent single ‘Midnight Mixtape‘ is another slice of nostalgia; more of a 70s-style rocker, it motors along on an emotional journey: “Midnight mixtape, Take me away, Midnight mixtape, Every track an old cliche”.
We’re firmly back in punk territory on ‘Kill Your Darlings‘, a song which I can’t work out the meaning of, as I’m writing this in a 32° (86F) heatwave and my brain is struggling… but look out for another stunning guitar solo.
The 80s flavour of ‘Secret Handshake‘ reveals a softer side of Taxi Girls, showcasing the band’s sweeter and more vulnerable side. Written from a place of love and longing, the song captures the feeling of wanting a summer fling to last a bit longer than the fading season. Even when time and distance make things complicated, friendship never fades; you’ll always have your secret handshake – and the handclaps make a return!
We head full-tilt into ‘It Makes Me Think‘, about unmasking the narcissist in your life; “That crown you try to wear, It don’t mean anything”. Taxi Girls totally go for it in this one, ripping out a musical and lyrical monster. ‘Highs // Lows‘ see the band bring in synth sounds to add variety and texture to this remarkably upbeat song about the shifting emotional landscape of a new relationship.
Depression is the subject of ‘Dark Time‘. It’s a complex state to exist in, and to unravel, and this song certainly does justice to the experience. There is always hope, as Taxi Girls sing in the chorus “I’m still alive, at least for tonight, I’m alive”. The ending becomes increasingly fast and frantic, as if sweeping us away into a black hole of oblivion…
Furious in both pace and tone, ‘Don’t Leave Me Hanging‘ is an anthem of rebellion and independence – the best way to deal with a complete jerk! Ending the album with a solo acoustic number, ‘Other Heart‘, the band’s story is left with more chapters still to tell…
Taxi Girls are The Go-Go’s for the 21st Century! This is a confident debut album from a band who are tight, together and totally engaged in making mighty, melodic and meaningful music.
Out today, 26th June 2026 on Stomp Records,, get you copy of ‘Static‘ on vinyl and digital download in Canada & the US HERE and in Europe from HERE, and it’s also on streaming services HERE
Main Photo Credit: LOICIA
- Say It!
- Try Harder
- Red Flag Crush
- Auto Hysterics
- So Quaint
- Midnight Mixtape
- Kill Your Darlings
- Secret Handshake
- It Makes Me Think
- Highs // Lows
- Dark Time
- Don’t Leave Me Hanging
- Other Heart
Follow Taxi Girls on Their Socials:
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