Talking Violet Carves Their
Own Path With New Album
Story by Jen Brignall-Strong
Photography by Syx Langemann
Sometimes the most profound moments are the simplest ones. For Windsor-based indie band Talking Violet, a realization of just how far they’d come occurred as the trio gathered around the radio one night, sitting at home in their pajamas listening as their latest single, Chew, played over the airwaves on 89X’s Homeboy Show.
After nearly eight years of writing, recording and touring, it was a quiet reminder of everything they’ve accomplished.
“It was just so wholesome,” recalls lead vocalist Jill Goyeau. “I think it’s easy sometimes to keep going and not think about these things, but we were there in that moment with our dog Starla just listening and saying, ‘wow, this is pretty cool.’”
For a band that’s thoughtfully carved out its place as an independent act, moments like that still carry weight. They are reminders that while ‘success’ may not always look the way they once imagined, they’re creating something incredibly meaningful on their own terms.
That philosophy is woven throughout Chew, Talking Violet’s new four-song EP. More than a collection of songs, it captures a moment in time: a snapshot of a band that has grown more confident in its sound, more comfortable in its identity and more determined than ever to tell its own stories.
Talking Violet began in 2018 with Jill Goyeau and Jay Turnbull as a folk-inspired duo before evolving into the atmospheric indie rock trio fans know today. Jill and Jay initially started writing together before realizing they wanted to create a more expansive sound. In 2019, drummer Jeremie Brousseau joined the project after receiving what might be one of the quickest invitations in local music history.
“We basically said: do you want to be in our band, come on tour in a month, and record an album this summer?” laughs Jill.
“At the time, I was in like seven different bands,” adds Jeremie. “Typical drummer. Of course I said yes.”
The three musicians already shared history through St. Anne Catholic High School’s music program and Windsor’s local music scene. For Jay and Jeremie especially, music started young. They were performing while they were still teenagers; sometimes before they were even old enough to be in the venues where they were playing.
“I played my first show in grade eight,” shares Jay.
Over the years, the band’s sound shifted dramatically. Folk quickly gave way to shimmering guitars, driving rhythms and textured arrangements, influenced by everything from shoegaze and indie rock to punk, metal and alternative music.
Ask each member about their biggest influences, however, and the answers couldn’t be more different.
Jill points to riot grrrl pioneers and artists like Kim Gordon and Kathleen Hanna who inspired her to embrace authenticity over perfection, while Jay cites bands like Slowdive alongside his pop-punk “Warped Tour” roots.
Jeremie’s musical upbringing leans heavily into classic metal and alternative rock, with Deftones remaining one of his biggest creative inspirations.
Those influences don’t necessarily sound obvious in Talking Violet’s music, and that’s exactly the point.
Rather than trying to emulate one particular artist, each member brings different musical instincts into the song writing process.
“Coming from an instrumental background, it’s easier for me to make a demo of a song I plan on giving to Jill to add vocals to, then Jeremie adds his vibe to it,” explains Jay. “Sometimes it comes together at once, sometimes in pieces, and everyone adds their own elements.”
The result is a sound that’s distinctly Talking Violet, with a creative confidence that has grown alongside the band itself.
On previous releases, song writing responsibilities and vocals were shared more broadly. More recently, with Jill taking on the primary vocal role, the writing has become increasingly personal.
“Our most recent full-length EP was the first time I was predominantly on vocals. Before, things were spread out more,” says Jill. “That really shaped how I write, because I’m more comfortable speaking from my own perspective now.”
That shift is most evident on the Chew EP.
Interestingly, the four songs weren’t originally intended to become an EP at all. Destroy and In Your Mind were released together last year, while Chew and Survival Mode followed this year. Eventually, the band realized they all represented the same period of growth, naturally forming a complete chapter.
“It wasn’t originally intentional; we viewed the two songs from last year as a pair, and the two from this year as a pair, but they all ended up being this chapter for us,” says Jill.
The title track, Chew, serves as the record’s emotional centrepiece which was inspired by an experience Jill had navigating the music industry as a female artist. After years of building a career independently, she found herself in conversations with industry professionals who assumed experience could only come from major label success.
Those interactions became the catalyst for one of the band’s most unabashed songs to date.
“I’m a raging feminist and I’ve always been outspoken about these issues, but after some experiences over the past year, I finally thought, ‘You know what? I’m writing about this,’” says Jill. “Too often, people assume independent artists need to be ‘saved’ by the industry instead of recognizing what we’ve already built ourselves.”
“(Instances like that) are a big part of why a lot of artists go independent,” adds Jeremie.
After years of carving their own path, success isn’t measured by record deals, and the band no longer sees signing with a label as the ultimate destination. Instead, they’ve embraced the freedom and responsibility that comes with doing things themselves.
“It’s something we talk about a lot; that ‘best of both worlds’ vibe of being an independent musician,” says Jill. “Your 9 to 5, then 5 to 9…or 5 to 2am. It’s kind of insane. You have to find the balance, but if it’s something you care about, you’ll find the time and make it work no matter what.”
That sense of perseverance shapes the emotional core of Chew. While each song explores different experiences, they share common themes of resilience, growth and accepting that life naturally moves through different chapters.
And now, on the heels of the new release and a packed hometown show at Meteor just last month, Talking Violet is ready for their next chapter.
After touring across Canada and the United States, the band’s attention is now turning overseas. With a growing listener base in Jakarta, Indonesia and strong interest throughout Southeast Asia, touring the United Kingdom, Japan and Indonesia has become part of the long-term vision.
Before that happens, however, they’ll be doing what they’ve always done best: writing and creating music entirely on their own terms.
“Fall/winter is usually when we end up writing,” says Jay. “We’ve written through some of the craziest winter storms. Funny how the colder the weather, the sunnier and brighter the songs come out.”
You can listen to Chew and the entire Talking Violet catalogue on Spotify, Apply Music, YouTube, and be sure to follow them on Instagram @talkingviolet.
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Published in the Autumn 2026 Edition.
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