Premiere: “Money” by Poolgirl
Ever since the Montréal punks Poolgirl first ignited the local scene with their scrappy 2024 demo Is This It?, the quartet have built a reputation for basement-ready anthems that balance razor-sharp frustration with an undeniable sense of joy. Rooted in riot grrrl urgency but wired with flashes of pop instinct and hardcore intensity, Poolgirl’s sound feels like a late-night diary entry shouted through a blown-out amp.
Today, Reverie premieres their new single “Money,” a volatile snapshot of survival in a city where ambition often collides with financial precarity. Written during a period of collective burnout, harsh winters, and dead-end jobs, the track channels lived-in exhaustion into something defiantly communal. It’s the first taste of the band’s upcoming EP Still Not Getting What I Want, out May 15 via Petit Village Records — a project that captures Poolgirl at their most restless, hungry, and ready to push beyond the confines of Montréal’s underground.
REVERIE: For people just discovering Poolgirl: who’s in the band, and how would you describe what you make together?
Our current lineup is Randy (vocals), Manya (rhythm guitar) Gwenna (bass) and Rachel (drums), plus Randy’s brother John filling in on lead guitar. Our music is primarily influenced by riotgrrrl and classic punk music, but we pull influence from a range of genres including pop, dance music and hardcore. In general, we make music that’s cheerful and antagonistic. We all express frustration through our music but creating and performing also leads to a lot of joy and laughter, so we feel like that energy always comes through in our music as well.
REVERIE: You first turned heads with the self-released demo “Is This It?” in 2024. What did that early version of Poolgirl capture about the band at the time?
In 2024 when making “Is This It” we were all pretty new to being a band, and knew absolutely nothing about the recording process. That being said we look back now on the rougher, scrappier sound of Fetishwear and Boy Destroyer with a lot of love. We’re actually releasing a remix of the song fetishwear soon (surprise!) because it’s just such a special and iconic song to us <3
REVERIE: Montréal has such a rich DIY and punk lineage. How has the local scene shaped the way Poolgirl operates?
Living in and playing music in Montreal for the last few years has definitely shaped all of us, both musically and as people. We have so much respect for the communities that have made the DIY scene what it is, and in the same spirit we really try to prioritize affordable shows, all ages shows and scenes that our friends will feel safe in.
REVERIE: Let’s talk about the new single. What sparked “Money”, and what were you working through when writing it?
Randy: The lyrical themes kind of came up while I was working as a waitress during my undergrad - I experienced a lot of unwanted and unsolicited interactions with people in that line of work, and at the
end of the day I still wasn’t making enough to, for example, fix my bike. I’ve been lucky to find better work since then, but the experience definitely inspired a lot of angst.
Band: Money came out of a very difficult time for each of us. We finished the song in January of 2024, at a time where all of us were struggling financially and physically in different ways. The Montreal winter is not always kind and we wanted to create something that really expressed the frustration everyone was feeling at that time.
REVERIE: Anything you've been listening to lately or any local bands that you feel inspired by?
Randy: I’ve been obsessed with Besta Quadrada - they’re a punk band from Buffalo, their riffs are so fun and I think the lead singer’s voice is epic.
John: Well for me local means Toronto, and Torrent is a band there that’s been cooking lately. It’s freaky art punk, the songs have patience, and you can actually dance which is refreshing.
Gwenna: I’ve been listening to Dear Elise a lot recently! They’re a punk band from my hometown of LA and they make music that makes me feel like I’m a cool older sister in a movie.
Rachel: I keep coming back to knitting’s album. I love their lyrics and I’m stoked to go to their next show.
REVERIE: The new EP is titled Still Not Getting What I Want. What does that title represent for you right now?
The title was actually taken from the lyrics of Money. It’s a theme that drives the whole EP, and honestly maybe all of our work. We express a lot of frustration through our songs, whether it’s in relationships or in some overarching structural sense. But “Still Not Getting What I Want” is also expressing lust for a better life, and wanting more freedom for us and for everyone.
REVERIE: You’ve been tearing up DIY spaces and local stages — what’s next?
We’re really excited to be playing a couple amazing fests this summer, including Pouzza fest and Sled Island, and we’re just excited to see more of Canada together! At the moment, there are a lot of challenges facing bands when it comes to touring, but several of our members are American, so down the line we would definitely hope to tour to both their hometowns and stay with their families. We are also working on a whole new batch of songs and hope to record a full LP this year!
