Australian harmony quartet Taxiride set themselves apart from the era’s meticulously choreographed vocal boy bands, instead aligning their approach with the spirit of an evolved Crosby Stills Nash and Young while insisting they functioned as a cohesive unit rather than a collection of solo artists.
In the three years before the lineup formed, Tim Watson, Tim Wild, Jason Singh, and Dan Hall each spent time performing five nights a week in Melbourne cover bands, absorbing songcraft and building experience within the city’s bustling club circuit. After the two Tims began collaborating, they immediately started capturing original material together. Seeking an additional vocal presence, they brought Jason Singh into the fold through an audition, after which the extended process of refining songs continued behind closed doors. Tim Wild later discovered Dan Hall performing on a sidewalk at a neighborhood market; once Hall entered the sessions, the quartet kept developing new material that remained private to the members and their immediate circles.
A cab-driving acquaintance began playing the tracks for passengers, marking the first occasion any outsiders encountered the music during these impromptu “taxi rides.” Through another contact, a demo reached a Sire Records executive in the United States, resulting in a U.S. deal signed before the group had any domestic profile. In mid-1998 the band recorded at producer Jack Joseph Puig’s Los Angeles facility, where he had previously worked with Jellyfish, Goo Goo Dolls, and Semisonic. The completed Imaginate album achieved platinum status in Australia. The debut single “Get Set” received prominent placement in the film Elected, while both “Get Set” and “Can You Feel” reached listeners in fall 2000.
