Geese - “Getting Killed” Review
Written by Beau Croxton
Geese by Lewis Evans
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: September
Geese subverts expectations yet again— Getting Killed is a record that revels in bold chaos just as strongly as it embraces melancholic tenderness. The result is raw, spontaneous, beautiful and brilliant.
Last year, in an interview with WVCW Radio, Geese drummer Max Bassin said “When we make music, I think the biggest thing that we want to achieve is something different, because we hate repeating ourselves musically”.
Unsurprisingly, on Geese’'s highly anticipated third studio album Getting Killed, the band expands their sonic terrain in unexpected ways. Ditching the crowd-pleasing, easy-going radio-rock of 3D Country, Geese linked up with producer Kenneth Blume (aka Kenny Beats) to embrace something different.
If Projector was their energetic post-punky debut, and 3D Country was their warped take on aux cord-friendly classic rock, then Getting Killed is the band moving into their own unique lane of artsy, weirdo-indie rock. It combines the melancholy of singer Cameron Winter’s highly acclaimed solo album Heavy Metal with an occasionally explosive, loose, live-in-studio sounding urgency. The band opts for dark humor and a raw immediacy– even in the lighter moments, there is a punk-rock spirit. It's an impressive and unique indie-rock record, one that doesn't need to lean into the big hooks that may have attracted crossover listeners on their last outing.
Getting Killed often carries a nihilistic approach that includes stories of existential dread, war generals, undercover angels, and dead husbands. The record’s lighter side is highlighted by blissful crescendos, emotional vulnerability, smooth falsetto and moments of sonic serenity that all provide somewhat of a tonal refuge from the more haywire moments. Winter’s baritone vibrato manages to dart from dreamy to manic with swift, unexpected changes of tone. Much like the album cover, the record finds a seamless duality between dream-like beauty and chaotic aggression that makes for a very unique listen. It’s also a record that will have you swaying with your eyes closed far more than shaking your hips or banging your head.
Let's dive in track-by-track for our Album Of The Month: Getting Killed
“Trinidad’ leads with Winter’s warped gospel, luring you in, until a nuclear chorus explodes sonically and thematically. Max Bassin begins the track as a ticking time bomb and blows up to match Winter on the chorus– Kenneth Blume’s drum panning is unconventional and fantastic. This track is an appropriate lead in, because on Getting Killed, the band regularly blends soothing passages with more haywire arrangements. Wonky trombones, wah-guitars and screams rage through the chorus like some bizarro Geese-circus…it's a total thrill. It's chaos, albeit controlled chaos– after all, it needs to be with its 13/8 time signature.
In a stark contrast, “Cobra” is an absolutely gorgeous, twangy little gem that sits somewhere in between 3D Country and Heavy Metal. “Cobra” invites solace after ‘Trinidad” sets the listener on fire— this is exactly the type of duality that makes Geese one of the most important rock bands at the moment. While the song sounds overwhelmingly like Geese– you could also say it sounds like a twangier, modern version of Television rewriting some of the more tender moments from Exile On Main Street. It’s a major standout, and one of my personal favorite Geese songs.
“Husbands” is an interesting meditation, although a bit strange and sparse. It's a solid track, even if it doesn't take off as it potentially could. An impressive feat of this song (and the album) is the band’s effortless ability to blur the line between bliss and insanity…which you would think are much further apart. Geese demonstrates that the two polar opposites may actually be next door neighbors.
“Getting Killed” stands out with its manic arrangements — Ukrainian choir samples are placed among technical drumming and chunky chords. Winter belts his lyrics psychotically— “I can’t even taste my own tears” and “I’m getting out of this gumball machine”, insinuating potentially being eaten. It's one of the most unruly cuts, but its more abstract touches are quite brilliant.
“Islands of Men” allows the band some time to stretch and build their jams naturally, while Winter gives an assuring and impassioned performance. Much of the magic in this song is in its meditative build—- the track is highlighted by a shimmering and glorious outro where Winter’s vocals, percussion, and trombone come together in a crescendo of pure bliss– one of many on the album.
Geese by Mark Somerfeld
All the singles benefit from their placement in context of the record. For example: up next, “100 Horses” truly slaps when it struts in with its groovy, Bonham-esque drums from Max Bassin. The track is littered with cynical dark humor and bluesy preaching. Winter sarcastically declaring “All people should smile in times of war” is a statement which should truly resonate across the globe at this given moment in time. This is what I imagine Captain Beefhart and his Magic Band might sound like if they were cynical Gen Z rockers in 2025, singing about life during wartime. In the outro, dazzling, clanky pianos take this scuzzy romp skyward.
“Half Real” is an enchanting heartbreaker that begins with Velvet Underground-esque guitar chiming and carries a wonky folk-western vibe. Winter nails some angelic falsetto among heavenly pianos that take strange detours. An escalating crescendo stuns before the track abruptly cuts out, leaving you craving more.
“Au Pays Du Cocaine” is another gorgeous gem– Winter’s vocals wobble and charm with his best level of emotional resonance. This track is another tender highlight that blossoms into a dazzling outro. This tune’s presence is comparable to the coziness of a warm blanket while you are stargazing in the cold forest on an autumn night– it's extremely comforting and nice to listen to. It also kicks off the strongest stretch of the entire record.
“Bow Down” is one of the liveliest cuts– with its firecracker snares , and shamanistic chants from Winter about “bowing down to Maria’s dead bones!”. Arriving after a string of mellow tunes– it's a bit of an ass-kicker with a feverish energy. The explosive, bossanova-jam outro is killer with a very steady and groovy performance from drummer Max Bassin. Winter’s vivid stories feature quotable lyrics like “He with least money has most to sell”.
“Taxes” was a wise lead single, because in the context of the album, it’s cathartic outro hits like a sonic breakthrough after every song that came before it. It serves as a major zenith of an album that explores the outskirts of traditional structures and immediate accessibility– this amplifies everything before “Taxes”, and significantly amplifies “Taxes” as a peak moment in itself.
On “Long Island City Here I Come”, the album leaves just the way it came in— explosive and chaotic, in the best sense. The closer is a thrilling rollercoaster that feels like an encore after the gorgeous peak of “Taxes”. It’s a manic, rave-up jam, with giddy, galloping pianos and drummer Max Bassin running rampant. As a native New Yorker myself (who has no desire to spend any time in Long Island City) whatsoever, I find Winter’s urgency to get to LIC absolutely hilarious. Although this bullet-train tends to run so wild that it almost comes off the rails, the group sticks the landing back on the tracks, and finishes the record strongly with a top-quality run of tunes. It's a raw, manic and brilliant piece. The final four tracks are incredible, and they give Getting Killed an absolute home-run ending.
Getting Killed is a twisted Yin and Yang; about half the tracks are bold and chaotic, and the other half lean towards twinkling, beautiful melancholic numbers. This record intertwines heavenly beauty with cranky chaos into a fantastic, indie-weirdo-rock sound that's hard to pin down.
Occasionally, the album can feel rough around the edges in its shambolic, ragged structures– and some of the manic vocal tangents from Winter get somewhat unruly. All of these factors will likely be divisive for those “crossover” listeners from their last album. However, the same argument can be made in favor of these qualities, as the roughness personifies a lot about what works so well on the album. My personal opinion leans far more in favor of embracing the chaos: the album’s rawness gives it more character, and it feels much more like a gripping live show. Getting Killed is a diamond in the rough– and throughout the album's runtime, the band makes a hell of a case for why it's best received in its natural state.
Ultimately, Getting Killed is brilliant music that is passionately performed by one of the most exciting bands. I feel Getting Killed is totally in the same ball park as Geese & Cameron Winter’s output overall– that's a very high standard. For example: the B-Side of Getting Killed (especially) is absolutely unreal…pure goosebumps.
This album might resonate more with fans of Heavy Metal more than it will for those hungry for a classic rock-revivalist repeat of 3D Country. It seems Geese will always evolve and it's for the better– after all, 3D Country already did what it needed to do perfectly. Geese are way too cool to double down (intentionally) on any potential mainstream integration, and they are far too unpredictable to do the same thing twice– it would go against their ethos.
Geese make a hell of a statement with Getting Killed— it’s a clever, genre-bending record with an intense spirit. Most importantly, overall, the record sounds (definitively) like Geese over anyone else. This record continues Geese’s upwards trajectory as one of the best and most interesting bands out there. Now that the band has gone 3 for 3 on great records, every following release (by Geese or Cameron Winter) should be even more highly-anticipated.
Occult Highlights: Cobra, Taxes, Bow Down, Long Island City Here I Come, 100 Horses, Au Pays Du Cocaine, Trinidad
(…but we recommend you listen in full while you smiiiiiile in times of war)