Fueled by punk attitude, vibrant riffs, and unrelenting energy, the Montreal foursome Bad Skin is something to behold when they take the stage with hot pink attitude and platform boots.
With big personalities, a commanding stage presence, and songs in multiple languages, Bad Skin’s ability to win over crowds isn’t hard to understand. As a road tested and ambitious international touring act, they’ve played throughout in the U.K., Sweden, France, Bulgaria and the U.S. sharing the stage with the likes of Billy Corgan, Billy Talent, Bad Religion, Goldfinger and The Romantics.
Formed a decade ago, the all-female band — singer and rhythm guitarist Dope, lead guitarist Victoria, bassist Star, and drummer Samantha — built its reputation the old-fashioned way: with relentless gigging throughout Canada perfecting a live show designed to leave a dent.
Sonically Miss Behave also leaves a lasting impression. Ricocheting guitars and melodic hooks collide with an urgent backbeat and messages of independence and empowerment.
Anthems like “We Are the Girls” and “Love Is What We Need” are immediate and relatable examples. They champion themes of self-expression and punctuate the album with the kind of large, memorable choruses that have landed Bad Skin on SiriusXM, where four of their songs are currently in rotation.
Culturally, the band remains true to its roots, embracing multilingual songwriting on Miss Behave with strong results. The soaring French-sung “Je m’en Fous” is a keeper, as is the undeniably great “Coeur Rebelle.” The latter is even matched with its Spanish-language counterpart “Corazon Rebelde.”
Miss Behave also shines thanks to an electrifying, punkified rendition of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and a spunky reworking of “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. Said covers highlight a band putting its own unique stamp on songs from different corners of pop history.
If that’s not enough, Bad Skin has just unveiled a stellar new single “Vive Le Quebec.” It’s an endearing love letter to their home province that might be their best tune yet. It affirms that this Montreal powerhouse continues to evolve, becoming sharper, more resilient and impossible to ignore.
