BLACK TAXI – We Don't Know Any Better

by Erin Patterson
After six years of working together as a band, the four men of Black Taxi have released two albums and are currently working on producing even more new material. Since their beginnings in Brooklyn, the band has balanced indie rock and pop to create a unique style of music. “It’s fun rock and roll that you can dance to,” says drummer Jason Holmes. “One of our big underlying things is that we like to play songs that we would like to listen to and that we would enjoy playing over and over again, things that we would be proud of on a long-term basis.”
Their most recent album, We Don’t Know Any Better, further solidifies the trend of synthesized indie music that began in their first album, Things Of That Nature. The sophomore album contains a wide variety of tracks, including tracks with punchy, upbeat tracks like “Tightrope” and “Hand.” The latter of the two highlights the multitalented lead singer Ezra Hulleat on the trumpet. “Holding Onto Nothing” slows down the album, allowing Hulleat’s smooth voice to melt into the introspective mood of the song, and “We Don’t Know Any Better” sets a heavy bass riff against the funky tone of the track.
The band recently spent a significant amount of time collaborating in Austin, Texas, recording music and creating music videos under director David Franklin. “During our time in Austin we got to focus a lot on writing music and soaking in a different scene than we often get,” said Jason Holmes. Among their many projects, they worked on creating a music video for their newest single, “House on Fire.” Holmes says that as they were searching for ideas for the video, they were “looking for something out of the box.” The result is a riveting albeit eerie video of a young woman doing at-home taxidermy with the melodic tunes in the background.
With a reputation for contagiously enthusiastic performances that precedes them down the east coast, the four men of Black Taxi have established themselves as an innovative band, constantly working new material into their live sets in order to gauge the audience’s response. If their latest single and recent collaboration with David Franklin are any indications of the band’s future in music, then indie music lovers should keep a keen eye on the men of Black Taxi. They have an irresistible energy and a deep passion for the music they create together, a combination that can only yield more unique and more lasting music.