In Montreal, the ‘70s protopunk-inspired band Pale Lips had built up a reputation on the local music circuit, which afforded them opportunities to tour Canada and Europe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the band would unexpectedly dissolve after five years.

But Pale Lips’ rhythm section convinced of a follow-up project, named after a ‘70s softcore porno, Taxi Girls. “Pale Lips was much more of a softer project, I guess,” says bassist and vocalist Jamie Radu, when the band spoke to Post-Burnout.

 “And that was a band that Lynn [Poulin, their drummer] and I played in before Taxi Girls. During COVID, Pale Lips decided that we would no longer play, so we just decided to find some new members and create some new songs. So, we’ve been together since 2022.”

With Jamie and Lynn in the band, they needed a third member to round out their sound. They enlisted the local music teacher, Vera Bozickovic, to play guitar for them. “It started as just the three of us, then the newest member, Gab [a.k.a. Gabrielle Noël-Bégin], joined almost two years ago,” adds Vera. “We have another guitar player.”

When Taxi Girls began post-COVID, they were afforded some experience and initial attraction from fans of Pale Lips. “Because Lynn and I had played in a touring band before, a lot of people had been paying attention to us,” recalls Jamie.

 “It was a bit of a surprise that that project stopped, so people were like, ‘Oh, well, what is everyone gonna do? What’re you guys going to do?’ So, as soon as we announced that Taxi Girls was a thing, we had a lot of support from people.”

Their momentum was instantaneous. “We wrote good songs from the beginning, and they gained a lot of radio traction from the get-go. It wasn’t a slow climb,” says Jamie. “Our first singles were played by Iggy Pop on his radio show. I don’t know exactly how that happened!” “Yeah, we still don’t really know exactly how that happened!” laughs Vera.

Through their first batch of singles, which were then compiled in their 2023 debut EP, Coming Up Roses, Taxi Girls became known for their righteous, declarative lyrics set atop driving surfy pop-punk. But this genre wasn’t something they were necessarily aiming for. “When I sit down and start thinking about writing a song, I don’t think about what it’s going to sound like in the end,” explains Jamie.

 “Which, I don’t know if that’s a very normal process or not. Some people are like, ‘OK, I want it to sound like a punk song. I really want it to sound like the Ramones,’ or ‘I really want it to sound like Bikini Kill,’ or whatever. That never happens in our process.

“We’ll be like, ‘Here’s these words that I have. I want it to sound like we’re driving in a car!’ […] Or, ‘How does it sound to drive in a car with your girlfriends? What does that sound like?’ and take that energy and create something. And, most of it happens to be punk rock or rock ‘n’ roll, but on the upcoming album, there’s some soft music inspired by Sloan.”

“I think, too, when people say it’s ‘Unapologetically us,’ that’s probably what that means,” adds Vera. “Because, sometimes when we’re writing, it’s like, ‘Well, that’s really how I felt in that moment,’ and that really carries through in the song, and that’s relatable to people.”

The band’s profile in the Montreal music scene resulted in gig opportunities to support the likes of The Offspring, NOFX, Billy Talent, The Hives, and many others, and travel out of town. But while these opportunities helped establish Taxi Girls to uninitiated audiences, they also hindered their ability to record new material.

“I thought we would’ve had our LP a long time ago,” admits Lynn. “Because of all the festivals, we had to practice for the festivals…” “And had a baby!” adds Jamie. “That took up a lot of time! […] But we started recording last May [2025], and then spent all summer playing away, every weekend, or every second weekend.

“So, it was really hard for us to…” “Get to it!” finished Lynn. “To practice the new songs!” “We had to actually decline a lot of shows in the fall,” adds Vera. “We were like, ‘We have to write!’, and we just couldn’t write, being so on the road and tired.”

Last autumn, Taxi Girls decided to take a break from live commitments to focus on completing their debut album, Static, which is expected to be released next month. The album is a compilation of various works that the members have had in their repertoire. “One of these songs existed before the band existed!” laughs Jamie.

“I think the latest one we finished about a month-and-a-half ago [Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded in April]. […] It took a long time, and, in the end, these are all the songs we’ve ever written. We didn’t have any filler, we didn’t have any songs that we were like, ‘No! We’re not doing this!’ Except for the newest song that we’ve written.” […] We wanted to do ten songs; then, in the end, there are thirteen. Twelve plus one.”

With the variety on display, the band worked with local producer Ryan Battistuzzi to help mould them into a cohesive piece. “All of our ideas, somehow, [came together],” says Vera. “That’s how it feels when we work in the studio. So, even though different ideas might have come up, they were somehow put into the music.”

A huge element that was important for the album was its overall atmosphere. “I am so obsessive about this particular element of records,” Jamie says. “Pacing. Sometimes I just had to put my foot down very hard, because I truly believe in the way the record should sound. So, we all had input for, sure, but…” “It was a very long process,” finishes Lynn.

“When I listen to a record, I like to listen from the first song to the last song,” continues Jamie. “And that is such a lost art, I find, with singles. Like, people release singles, and have one great song on the record, and have maybe nine OK songs.” “It was really important to us,” agrees Vera.

As mentioned earlier, the themes that the band want to explore often dictate the musical direction of their songs. With an album as sonically diverse as Static, it stands to reason that it is also ideologically diverse!

“I’m a lyric obsessive,” says Jamie. “And I like to make sure that things make sense and have a lot of meaning behind them, but sometimes, they don’t have to! Sometimes, when they don’t, that’s totally fine. It can mean something to the writer, and not necessarily the entire audience. There are definitely a couple of moments that are on the record that are like that, for sure.

“Sometimes, lyrics come first; sometimes, music comes first; sometimes, a little hummed melody comes first; sometimes, a drumbeat comes first; sometimes, a bassline comes first. Our process is so not textbook!”

The band would love to come to Europe soon, and they plan to visit Ireland should they make the trip. In the meantime, they have a piece of advice for us all: “I like pushing the young ones, and pushing the girls to really just go for it, and don’t let it stop you!” says Lynn.

Taxi Girls’ debut album, Static, is to be released on June 26^th. You can keep up with the band through their Linktree

Tune into POSTBURNOUT.COM Interviews… tonight at 22:00 (IST) to hear this interview in full. Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music Podcasts.

Aaron Kavanagh

Aaron Kavanagh is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Post-Burnout. His writing can also be found in the Irish Daily Star, Buzz.ie, Totally Dublin, The GOO, Headstuff, New Noise Magazine, XS Noize, DSCVRD and more.