Geese flocks far away from your average rock band. The backing band rolls elements of classic, folk, experimental and art rock into a single pleasant sound that’s energetic and also soothing to the ears.
The crown jewel of this band, however, is frontman Cameron Winter’s uniquely deep, off-kilter and bellowing voice. It blends the boundaries of flawed and masterful, making for — at the very least — an artistically engaging sound to listen to. As you could probably tell, his voice is incredibly divisive due to how different it is from your average rock vocalist, but in an age of cookie-cutter vocals, such a voice can be incredibly rewarding to listen to.
“Getting Killed,” released on Friday, Sept. 26, is Geese’s third long-play. It precedes 2023’s lauded “3D Country” and Winter’s 2024 solo singer-songwriter soft rock-adjacent effort “Heavy Metal.” If you don’t like the dense classic rock sound of “3D Country,” “Heavy Metal” provides an alternative and lighter soundscape while retaining Winter’s voice.
“Getting Killed” is a natural evolution to Geese’s sound, opting for a sound that’s slightly lighter but arguably even more sonically intricate.
“Trinidad” sounds vocally adjacent to Layne Staley of grunge band Alice in Chains — that is, when Winter isn’t screaming “There’s a bomb in my car” frantically over off-kilter instrumentation, almost as if the song is exploding. Throughout the song, the bass looms over the mix menacingly and enticingly. What any of these lyrics mean to the band is up for debate, but one could guess it delves into absurdism and surrealism. They probably want the audience to come to their own conclusions.
“Cobra” sounds like it was written as a soul song, if not for the glistening guitars that sound absolutely fresh and beautiful with how they’re mixed. The entire song, arguably besides the first verse, is a sensually driven narrative with lyrics like “You should be shame’s only daughter / Whatever he’s got in his hand / You can get it on your own, you’ll see” and “Baby, let me wash your feet forever / Baby, you can stay in my house forever and ever.” Furthermore, the cobras dancing and being held could be a sexual euphemism for penile arousal. This feels like something Car Seat Headrest would make back in its early days.
“Husbands” is a foreboding song possibly about divorce or becoming a widow with beautiful percussion. Winter starts the vocals off by singing, “I’ll repeat what I say / But I’ll never explain / So you don’t have to waste your time,” which is a great philosophy for sharing and interpreting art. A standout line was: “And if my loneliness should stay / Well, some are holiest that way” for its possibly comforting effect on those who feel lonely.
The title song is probably a song depicting the feeling of “sonder,” or the realization that everyone in the world has their own thoughts, worries, obligations and more beyond your own. The lyric “I can’t even taste my own tears / They fall into an even sadder bastard’s eyes” and living a “pretty good life” speaks to this sense of worldwide emotions and different problems based on which part of the world you live in.
“Half Real” is contender for best song on the album composition-wise. All the instruments coexist in harmony in such a pleasant and beautiful way, which is surprising for such a despairing song probably about a one-sided relationship. Winter’s lyrics play with the theme of halfness, culminating into the lyric about getting a lobotomy to forgot both the “bad times” and “good times.”
“Bow Down” sounds like it could be rapped on or sampled with the densely-packed drum pattern. The guitars come in such a satisfying way on top of that. The biblical imagery in the lyrics referring to angels being down someone’s throat and on King Solomon’s throne gives a lot of ways to personally interpret the song.
“Long Island City Here I Come” is the other contender for best song on “Getting Killed.” The instrumentation is chaotic and high energy, but sonically appealing. The lyrics read like poetry with the cryptic biblical and historical references. This song was the perfect pick for the last song of the album.
“Getting Killed” easily usurps “3D Country” and maybe even Winter’s own “Heavy Metal.” It sounds even more fresh and it’s so exciting to hear a band evolve and mature in such a way. This is an exciting band to be following and they deserve all the success and even more with their artistic integrity.
Rating: 4.25/5