Geese prove New York City still produces great and unique rock music

New York City, for as large as it is, has always had a way of producing bands that just sound, well...different. And it seems that Geese is the latest in a long line of great NYC bands. While they are completely different than most other bands you might hear on your radio, they definitely share some sonic tendencies with fellow NYC band, The Strokes, among others. But that's a great thing.

Geese are made up of five friends from Brooklyn who had other plans, most of them relating to going to college and studying music before the pandemic hit. They were making music together before the pandemic, but not with any long-term goal of trying to be a band for the next 20 years. The pandemic was awful, of course, but it also helped push people together even further at times and give us bands like Geese.

On the band's second full-length release, 3D Country, their already mature-beyond-their-years sound is taken up a notch and made bigger and more bold. With the help of producer James Ford, the band's experiments in sound get a bit more clarified. Geese have a ton of talent but it still needs to be honed in at times, and Ford, who has produced bands like Depeche Mode and the Arctic Monkeys, knows how to do that.

Geese release 3D Country and it's what you need

While each individual member of the band brings something exceptional to the music, singer Cameron Winter might be the true difference between Geese being unique and turning the band into being uniquely good. He's not afraid to play with his tones, much in a way that Tom Waits does. Winter has at this stage of his life and much bigger range (i.e. "I See Myself") than Waits, but the growl is there at times, and the bravery of not being afraid to challenge the listener.

The influences are numerous and clear for Geese. You can hear a bit of Radiohead, the Strokes, Television, and the Talking Heads in songs, sometimes all in the same song. But the sound never fully gets away from Geese and the songs are easy to listen to. Still, every bit of the new album has a New York City vibe and keeps NYC rock alive and very well.

Other music news and analysis