A Four-Song Geese Primer for Those Who Don’t Understand All the Hype Surrounding the Band

In January, when Geese made their debut on Saturday Night Live, it brought one of the most hyped rock bands in recent history to a network television audience. They’ve been tagged as rock and roll’s saviors, but I don’t think it’s necessary to hear them under such buzzy acclaim. Still, there’s a reason people are talking about this band. Find out why below.

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“Trinidad” from ‘Getting Killed’ (2025)

As Geese walked on the Gobi stage at this year’s Coachella, someone in the crowd yelled, “There’s a bomb in my car!” If you didn’t know anything about the hyped Brooklyn band, you might be alarmed. While there’s no need to be alarmed, there’s also nothing to prepare you for the first time experiencing “Trinidad”, the opening track on Geese’s latest LP, Getting Killed. A beautifully unhinged jam featuring angular punctuations from the guitarist Emily Green. The recorded version is relatively tame compared to its live cousin. I’d recommend watching the SNL performance, which left frontman Cameron Winter giggling at the madness of it all.

“Taxes” from ‘Getting Killed’ (2025)

This fretful and defiant tune opens with a scattered groove reminiscent of latter-day Radiohead. Propelled by the rhythm section of drummer Max Bassin and bassist Dominic DiGesu, the track features Winter crooning this magnificent thought: “If you want me to pay my taxes / You’d better come over with a crucifix / You’re gonna have to nail me down.” Then the band enters, and Green lifts the anxious mood with chiming chords. If death and taxes are our only guarantees, then consider Geese’s soaring outro a kind of indie rock resuscitation.

“Cowboy Nudes” from ‘3D Country’ 2023

Geese’s music requires patience. First, Winter’s unique singing may leave you wondering, what exactly are you listening to. Lyrically, you might think, to borrow an absurdist metaphor from Christopher Hitchens, that he should be in the streets selling pencils from a cup. However, sticking around reveals echoes of Nick Cave’s enigmatic poetry. And beneath the strange rhythms and inflections lay a soulful crooner. Is Geese rock and roll’s great hope? I’ll leave it to others to decide. Perhaps they are just great. And that’s enough for me. “Cowboy Nudes” is one of the band’s more immediate songs. Crank it.

“2122” from ‘3D Country’ 2023

“When the Ragnarök comes down, and the sun and moon collide / We can make love in the end times,” sings Winter here. This is a deep blues groove by way of Brooklyn and Winter shouting about a Norse apocalypse, recalling the mythical themes of Led Zeppelin. Yet even tucked inside the familiarity of blues rock, Geese throws the listener with an exploding cacophony. For his part, Bassin shreds the drum kit like Dave Grohl on pots of coffee before Green introduces what it might have sounded like had Jimmy Page intended “Black Dog” for Kid A.

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