Geese was a band I was introduced to through their opening set for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard in New York, 2024. I was unfamiliar with them prior to their support being announced and deep dove into them leading up to the show, but when the band they're opening for has upwards of 25 albums, there is only so much time in the day to get excited for the favorites while being acquainted with someone new. All this to say, I knew I’d like them, but I didn’t expect such an impression to be left.
I’d describe them as organized chaos, as all good rock bands should be. A certain sense that you’re seeing an untamed beast perform, that each night is unique, but that beast actually does make it through each song they set out to. They leave room for experimentation, clashing, and solos that yield an exciting performance every time. Their newest album, which dropped in September right up against the end of 2025, "Getting Killed", captures this sound perfectly.
The album’s opener, “Trinidad,” is a freeform cacophony of instrumentation consisting of soft drum sweeps, a gentle voice, and consistency that is interrupted by pain-strained lyrics screaming of bombs in cars and the thrashing of brass and strings that would accompany such a situation. It’s a bit aggressive on the first listen, and isn’t for everyone, but the pure emotion on the track is raw in a way that pulls you into the rest of the 45-minute album. The following track, “Cobra,” pulls back that aggression into a tame love ballad that has indie roots; vocals and rhythm that call to mind the honest sound of Car Seat Headrest. It’s a wonderful reprise from the opener and introduces the range that the album will further explore the space between.
The title track is full of energy, with a distant chanting that lies beneath the fast pace upheld by a constant shaking of a rattle and high-paced multi-part drum hits from Max Bassin. It’s a well-built, sturdy song that explores wonderful sounds. I love the line, “I can’t even hear myself talk,” being shouted over the noise of the instruments and chanting. Lead singer, Cameron Winter, has such a unique, emotive voice that balances the tracks well. While not being a technical singer mulling over perfections, he concerns himself more with embodying what the track should become. Low repetitions to screams that have me wondering if he protects his vocal cords enough, the emotion put into a song by hearing the human singing instead of the perfect machine of repeating notes is the same joy of human intervention I get when I see a ceramic mug with the artisan’s fingerprints left behind. The mark of a human making art is all over their music.
“Half Love” stood out for the same reason; the delicate nature in which he pulls back his voice feels like a man with something to say. It also features a wonderful piano break that adds to its intrigue. The delicacy continues into “Au Pays Du Cocaine,” which begins with a wonderful melody strung together by Emily Green, echoed through the bass of Dominic Digesu, which is an earworm that will not leave my head. It’s a very high point of the album and a deeply captivating song I’d highly recommend checking out.
Throughout the album’s initial listen, there were a couple of times I’d pass the road sign of thought that stated, “Oh this one’s my favorite!” only to be corrected time and time again the further down the road I got. I travelled from “Cobra,” to “100 Horses,” to “Au Pays Du Cocaine,” to “Taxes,” where I believe I finally landed with my favorite off the album. It’s a densely packed journey with a lot of great moments in a tight timeline. An easy listen that ends before it begins and leaves me starting it again to make sure I really got it all.
Geese is one to get in on now as they continue to pad their discography with stellar release after stellar release. Having been lucky enough to see them as an opener, I look forward to seeing them as a headliner. Geese will be all over the place this year, with shows across Australia, Japan, and Europe, and a whole bunch of festivals across the states, so check them out where you can, even if that means opening up a new tab and trying them out. Let me know what you think!
Geese
