As indie-rock aims to end another historic year, one band is making a name for itself, and that’s Geese. Releasing their first album in over two years, “Getting Killed,” dropped this past September. With a mix of experimental and indie rock, it’s quite hard to pin down the sound. Drawing inspiration from bands like Radiohead and The Strokes, an era of rock is returning and also debuting. While their sound feels somewhat familiar, it is also mysterious, ushering in a complete transformation to the road rock was headed.
Background music
The band was formed in 2016, when friends Cameron Winter (lead vocalist), Emily Green (guitarist), Dominic DiGesu (bassist) and Max Bassin (drummer) came together during their high school years in Brooklyn. During this time, they released three projects before graduating in 2020 – those projects have since been removed from their discography. Following graduation, the band planned to break up due to further schooling and career choices. However, their demos started to receive major attention from record labels during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were then signed to Partisan Records and have since been significantly successful, consistently flying up the totem pole.
What makes them different?
In an age where rock isn’t the dominant force, attracting an audience and following can be difficult. It’s hard to understand what people really want to hear. Some might even ask, Where has true rock gone? This is where Geese plays a major role, restoring the unique sound through the use of experimental guitar and flamboyant vocals. We are starting to hear a return of the music the world once loved. Winter’s raspy voice and confidence in expression are a must-hear, giving a glimpse of a prime Lou Reed or Jim Morrison.
Each project has its own uniqueness, never sounding the same. Their debut project, “Projector,” is more of a post-punk album, while “3D Country” feels alive, sort of like an opera.
The special thing about Geese is that it almost sounds as if they could fall apart at any moment, but that’s just it, they don’t. Instead, they thrive in the chaos, creating an atmosphere that’s thrilling. Winter creates unpredictable melodies shifting from manic yells to expressive wails. The band backs him with restless bass lines, catchy guitar riffs and unforeseeable drum shifts. This style is similar to bands like Radiohead and Television, both of which flourished because they weren’t afraid to be different or “weird.”
In an interview with GQ this previous September, Winter said, “I like the feeling of hearing people struggling against their own limits, like trying to break through. They go to the very tippy-top of what they think they’re capable of, and that’s why it’s beautiful.” This is what makes music interesting.
The future
While we’ve seen the different influence Geese has had in the modern rock world with their first couple of projects, it really amps up with their new one, “Getting Killed.” With the first projects focusing on specific themes of soul, psychedelic, punk, etc, it seems this one really ties them all together, creating a commanding dynamic. Drawing similarities from Winter’s solo project “Heavy Metal” (released December 2024), “Getting Killed” takes emotion and strangeness to new heights. During the first chorus of track one, “Trinidad,” a scream is heard, “THERE’S A BOMB IN MY CAR.” This paranoid shriek is just a small glimpse of what the album entails.
“Where their music once felt clouded by a history of hip NYC forebears, they now cast their future wide open,” Pitchfork writes. “It’s a style that favors cyclical repetition over crafted hooks, ecstatic bursts of melody that inspire some of Winter’s most commanding writing.”
The geese are flying
We know Geese doesn’t just represent any typical indie band, they are paving a way for the music world, aiming to attract the audience rock used to have. With the power and strangeness of the band’s songwriting, they are headed in the right direction. Each project tests limits and they’re chasing something that goes beyond music – something spiritual, reckless and real. And if rock is truly evolving, Geese aren’t just keeping up. They’re the ones showing us where it’s headed.
That’s maybe what’s so important about them. They aren’t trying to save rock, they’re trying to set it free.
You can find Geese and news about them here!