Not short of classic rock influences, Geese release a classic album of their own with Getting Killed. Kai Marshall explores Winter’s world.

Rock music in the 21st century all too often finds itself struggling to get out of the shadow of its predecessors. Geese have not found this to be an issue – their classic rock tendencies blend seamlessly with contemporary post-punk.  

The Opener, Trinidad, brings a David Byrne wackiness with its ‘there’s a bomb in my car’ refrain, delivered like an absurd Life During Wartime lyric. By the end of the song the listener is envisaging Jim Morrison, however. The track itself drags its feet but the performance of Cameron Winter sets us up for the brilliance of what comes next. 

Writing about Geese can sometimes read like a rock ‘n’ roll hall of fame ceremony from the mid-’80s. Cobra sounds like a track from George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, and Husbands finds Winter sounding like Jagger has learned how to do vibrato. What must be noted is Geese’s ability to bring these twentieth century titans into the contemporary; there is nothing that this band does that has been done before. 

The album truly opens up when its title track starts with kaleidoscopic drums and accompanying percussion. Like much of the album, it has hints of a rock ‘n’ roll circus jam although on this occasion followed by a 2010s surf-inspired indie outro. The transition is stark but is complimentary to the decade-spanning, genre-bending nature implicit to the Geese musical machine. 

The political statements on this album are ’60s protest-music worthy. Islands Of Men is a poignantly articulated analysis of teenage masculinity that, currently, has led a number of young men to isolate themselves and blame the world for their issues without taking responsibility. 100 horses treads on the anti-war toes of Creedence – you can imagine the artist wearing an army surplus shirt with a CND logo stitched on to the arms. Astute observations and interesting musicality define the work of Geese and Winter up until this point. 

The genre odyssey takes us to Velvet Underground’s Venus In Furs on Half Real, a post-punk crooner on Au Pays Du Cocaine, and a funk bass guitar on Bow Down. Despite their clear and obvious influences it’s hard to think of a band that currently or have ever sounded like Geese. 

Lead single Taxes is perhaps the least nostalgic track on the album – it harks back not at all to any canonical rock band but is entirely fresh. Long Island City is an impatient jog-on-the-spot before a break down that sees the artist filling his heart with home.  

Catch Geese on their UK run next March. 

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All words by Kai Marshall. Read more from Kai on his authors archive and find him on Instagram