Getting Killed - Geese: Review
Review by Lavender:
Geese are a NYC indie rock band that erupted onto the scene in 2023 with a breakthrough sophomore album, 3D Country. That record went on to become a major critical darling, and in 2024, the band's frontman, Cameron Winter, released a solo album that showed off a more intimate and singer-songwriter-influenced style. I was hoping that dynamic range would come together perfectly on the band's third album, which quickly became one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year for many indie fans. While I may not see the album as a slam-dunk masterpiece like some fans and critics have rushed to declare, it's undeniably great regardless.
A big reason for my excitement for this record was the trio of excellent singles released before it dropped. The second single, "Trinidad," is the first song in the tracklist, and what a ferocious start to the record it is. The more sparse elements of the instrumental don't really prepare you for the repeated eruptions of "There's a bomb in my car," screamed out like the conclusion of some kind of torture ritual. The track is met with a comically sweet follow-up in "Cobra." I love the way Cameron strains his vocals out, but if anything, it's in an effort to sound more inviting. Despite the shift in intensity, I think the pair of songs to a great job of setting the table for the wildly unpredictable album that follows.
The third single, "100 Horses," lands directly at the center of the album, and it's a massive instrumental highlight. Even before Cameron comes in with his deranged ramblings channeling so many beloved classic rock weirdoes, the song starts with an irresistible swagger that I'm addicted to. When the album serves up a tight and you the point composition, it almost always hits a home run. The best example is "Husband's which is janglier than anything else on the album's first half. It also comes with a fascinating lyrical manifestation on loneliness and how carrying a burden can actually feel nice when all you have to compare it to is emptiness.
The album also goes on a stunning run across its final three tracks, the middle of which is the staggeringly great lead single "Taxes." The song is an utterly perfect encapsulation of how the band's eccentricities sonically, compositionally, and thematically can weave in and out of each other to create something entirely unique. It may be their very best song yet, and it's certainly one of the best songs I've heard this year. Slipping in right before it is "Bow Down," whose jittery instrumental feels reminiscent of Black Midi if they let themselves have fun. The flip-flopping vocal intensity Cameron provides is the perfect match for that frenetic stop and start pacing.
But the record also has an absolutely jaw-dropping finale, the brilliantly titled "Long Island City Here I Come." The song starts propulsively from its opening notes with an instrumental that feels like it's genuinely aching for the moment it can erupt. Meanwhile, Cameron is detailing a literal conversation he's having with Joan Of Arc that leads him to assess his own faith. Eventually, Cameron vocally ushers in the instrumental breakdown and all of the momentum cascades over the song's expansive sonic surface in an absolutely masterful fashion.
Despite what you may be hearing on the internet recently, the record isn't actually perfect. The one-two punch of "Half Real" and "Au Pays Du Cocaine" isn't bad by any means. But they do represent a dimming of the album's potent and often unpredictable energy. The former features a style of face-up songwriting that does match with the piano instrumental, but doesn't provide anywhere near as much intrigue as the rest of the record. "Cocaine," by comparison, is a much better song, but even with its gentle indie rock demeanor feeling pretty enticing; the refrains are far from the band's best.
If you've only heard one complaint about this record, it's probably about the compositions. Specifically, the band has such a difficult time ending songs that it's become a bit of a meme. "Getting Killed" has a jammier style right out of the gate that I actually find pretty enticing. I love the way the clacking percussion and instrumental diatribes match Cameron's fluttery refrains. It's a playful push and pull, though there's more than one time that it seems to cut off its own momentum for no reason. "Islands Of Man" has this same issue, but worse. I love the way it builds up all its instrumentation around a driving groove and the way Cameron desperately croons out refrains that go from advice to straight-up begging. But the last few minutes of the song are dedicated to this weird upending of the track and what replaces it isn't nearly as interesting and doesn't carry any of the great momentum they built leading up to it.
Even if Getting Killed isn't the single best album in the history of music, it's an improvement on a great foundation Geese set up for themselves and one of the best rock albums of 2025. The band's playful instrumentation, dances and sometimes soars over their sunny, expansive compositions. Meanwhile, Cameron Winter has firmly established himself as a kind of blues-rock weirdo that harkens back to so many 70s classic rock iconoclasts. What results when the two are combined isn't just one of the most unique rock acts operating today, but also one of the best. 8.5/10
For more great rock, check out my review of Maruja's Pain To Power
