Geese
Getting Killed
(Partisan/PIAS)
★★★★★

A BAND whose outlook — given their own and frontman Cameron Winter’s recent successes — must be nothing but optimistic, have returned with a frenetic, sometimes bleak, offering. Continuing down the experimental path that defined the jammy Americana of 3D Country (2023), the Brooklyn quartet kick off into an innovative post-punk record chock-full of warm textures that reward listening over and over.

Geese have been around the block now. Opener Trinidad is as clear in its self-assurance as the ease with which it settles into the album. While evoking some early forays into jazz-fusion, the band are unafraid to throw new ideas at the wall and refuse to corner themselves into mere pastiche. Winter’s vocal style seems to draw upon the brilliance of contemporaries like Dry Cleaning, Squid, Black Country or New Road. Passages of raspy talk-singing erupt into harsh cries — “There’s a bomb in my car!” — wrapped in crisp rhythm and brass.

The entrancing grooves of tracks like 100 Horses are never at the expense of melodic ingenuity. Jangly guitars and shimmering keys meander their way through fairly straightforward indie rock on Cobra into the brilliantly simple of Au Pays du Cocaine (No Surprises by Radiohead, anyone?) and the climactic, penultimate Taxes.

Having given the listener ample respite on their more downbeat selections, the band showcase their collective technical virtuosity as they round out the record with Long Island City Here I Come. A recent staple of Winter’s solo shows, the song is adapted here into a thudding jam boasting all the trimmings of a fine-tuned musical unit.

Pleasantly surprising was to see Kenneth Blume (formerly known as Kenny Beats) listed in the production credits for Getting Killed. An impressive repertoire built from work with hip-hop artists like Freddie Gibbs and JPEGMafia, has given way to more recent, critically lauded collaborations with rock bands like IDLES and Toro y Moi. His own solo debut, Louie (2022), is brilliant in its own right.

Getting Killed brilliantly sums all the refreshing qualities that Geese and fellow post-punk rockers are bringing to the scene today. While clearly experimental, its execution is decisive and it is a lovingly produced record worth anyone’s time.