New York City’s Geese is back with their third full-length album Getting Killed, a full two years after the release of 3D Country.
It was that record that made Geese one of the biggest indie darlings of the 2020s, leading to an opening spot for experimental titans King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. 3D Country was my introduction to Geese and after seeing them three times opening for King Gizzard, their unique grooviness stuck with me. Their sound blends blues, psychedelic rock and whatever weirdness that comes from consuming too many magic mushrooms.
After two years, their sound has evolved with their growing popularity, incorporating lush orchestral arrangements and enough of frontman Cameron Winter’s warbly vocals to fill a heavenly choir. Trinidad is quite an opener, sounding like a jazz orchestra being hit by a bus while Winter shouts “there’s a bomb in my car.” If their goal was to create a sonic representation of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” they’ve succeeded. In a moment of pure whiplash, this beautiful mess of a song transforms into Cobra, a track that sounds like a b-side from Winter’s solo album, Heavy Metal. While a lot of this record does remind me of Heavy Metal, there’s an added layer of head-bobbing groove that’s distinctly Geese.
The title track, Getting Killed, is another example of their effervescent groove, spearheaded by the group’s tight rhythm section. Yes, drummer Max Bassin and bassist Dominic DiGesu run wild on this track, creating a backdrop full of shakers, cowbells, woodblocks and fuzzy bass. This isn’t to forget the interesting guitar player of Emily Green, who lingers and meanders on top of this intense backing effortlessly. Her playing simultaneously anchors the group, while still being able to serve as a starting point to explore unique chords and strumming patterns.
“100 Horses” takes the sound built up on the record into the mud. The riffs on this track can only be described as disgusting, in the greatest way possible. Winter’s double tracked vocals are especially warbly, leading into an ethereal piano solo atop a choir of shaky backing vocals.
“Au Pays Du Cocaine” is most like Winter’s solo album, sounding especially similar to The Rolling Stones off that record. The track is another wonderful moment of whiplash, a ballad that materializes out of nowhere serving as a break from the intensity of some of the other cuts. As soon as it’s over, the group gets right back into their syncopated swing of things. Bow Down brings the band closer and closer to funk and disco, like a deranged single from a long forgotten ‘70s band.
The last two tracks are some of the most visceral material in Geese’s short discography. Taxes, the lead single for the record, floats along with ghostly falsetto voices and campfire guitars, before triumphantly turning around into an anthemic indie rock track. While the song is fairly repetitive, Winter’s vocals carry it home in the end, atop one of the more feel-good instrumentals on the record. The album’s closer, Long Island City, is an odyssey. Clocking in at six and a half minutes, this chaotic rock opera encompasses everything that Geese stands for at this point in time. Crazed rhythm and Winter’s paranoid vocals culminate in a New York City folk tale gone haywire. The track evolves into distinct movements, each a little more interesting than the last. In a strange way, it reminds me of a modern, drugged out version of Scenes from an Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel. The track devolves into discord towards the end, leaving the listener to revel in the band’s zaniness.
Geese once again prove themselves as Gen Z’s shining star in the indie world. With the release of 3D Country and Heavy Metal, this group of twenty-somethings put themselves on the map of musical oddities. The band is currently headlining a world tour right now, and the future continues to look brighter and brighter. Wherever these youngsters take the New York City sound, the world will surely listen.
