Album review: Getting Killed by Geese (2025)

This first section has absolutely nothing to do with Geese. You can scroll down to the album cover if you don't care about my listening habits. 

I'll admit, I don't listen to new music enough. That's mostly down to choice; I just like my 80s post-punk, alright? It's also partially down to not finding the music I like, which is probably due to not bothering to look for new music. My listening age, according to my Spotify Wrapped, is 62, which humbled me a bit and made me reconsider my listening habits.  

I should listen to more new music that isn't Fontaines DC...

I mean, I have been diversifying my tastes a bit. I finally relented and started listening to Kanye West after hearing my friend mention how great he was for years, and like, his best music is from the 2000s, no? At least that's a start. And I suppose listening to both new music, as well as genres I'm not tapped into, has helped me appreciate music way more. 

And I say this because I've only listened to, like, three albums from 2025 this year. Shameful, I know - but I enjoyed them all to some extent. From those three, though, the best album is probably...

Getting Killed, by Geese 

Getting Killed album cover

I joined my uni's alternative music society at the start of the term. Yes, they talk about Jane Remover too much for my liking, but the band they've probably gone on about the most is Geese. They're an indie rock band from New York, and Getting Killed is their fourth album. Every other meetup, it felt like someone would play a song from Getting Killed, and I'll confess - at first listen, it didn't grip me that much. It was good, but not fantastic. I still hold that opinion about lots of the songs on the album, by the way - more on that later. But eventually, I'd go away and listen to the album. 

Initially, it was just Taxes, one of the singles on the album and probably their biggest hit. It's a wonderful song, immediately drawing you in with singer Cameron Winter's crooning. "I should burn in hell", he sings, and for some reason, those lyrics sound more powerful than they read. But the song only becomes beautiful with a jangly guitar riff mid song, which kicks the song into life but doesn't make it energetic, either - it's like a ballad to tax evasion, charming but melancholic at the same time.

If you want me to pay my taxes, you better come over with a crucifix, you're gonna have to nail me down

Yes, the lyrics are arguably about a failed relationship - come on, Geese aren't exactly anarchic icons - but they're absurdist enough that I can both laugh at the literal reading of the lyrics, and the more emotional subtext behind them. They remind me of bands like Talking Heads, where the lyrics are about something concrete, yet often discuss more potent emotional ideas. 

Yes, I know what a metaphor is. You're not funny. 

The rest of the album

Getting Killed is both manic and vulnerable, it really depends which song you're on. If it's the opener Trinidad, it sounds like an acid-fuelled panic attack, with Winter shrieking "there's a bomb in my car" over and over again; bursts of trombone punctuate a grooving guitar and bassline. It's probably the most sloppy song on the album; it personally reminds me of psychedelic bands like early Pink Floyd, who weren't afraid to go all out and cause chaos. Yet I'm not sure if I get the song yet, and it's probably my least favourite. 

If it's Islands of Men, you'll have a softer track, a repeating guitar riff, lyrics about feeling out of place and how "you can't keep running away". The song builds up over time, but doesn't break out of that repetition, growing somewhat stale in my opinion; Winter's voice also gets rather grating as he slurs the last few lyrics. 

Whilst the two songs are far from my favourites, they best illustrate how the album can sway between emotions. I personally like it when they just rock out, such as on the anthemic 100 Horses with its addictive chorus and beautiful jangly ending. But I also love Au Pays du Cocaine, a more elegant track with sweeping guitar and wonderful lyrics about someone wanting to be with their lover but just knowing that no matter what, they won't. Winter sings "just come home, please" with so much emotion it's like he's mourning a breakup for real.

Luckily for me, the album has more moments I love than I find indifferent, which makes the album on the whole fantastic. My favourite run of songs might be from 100 Horses to Taxes, which includes Au Pays du Cocaine, but also the energetic Bow Down which adds some bluesy flair. And whilst I'm not that keen on the closer Long City Island Here I Come, a raw track with energetic drumming that sounds like it's going to collapse, I can still admit it's a fine song.

Conclusion

I'm not the first person to talk about Geese. Hell, I had no idea who they were before the uni society introduced me to them. If you're even half as nerdy about music as I am, you've probably heard of them anyways; it seems like many critics have rated Getting Killed as the best album of the year. And I don't blame them - it's an album full of joy, pain, and everything in between. 

I'm not sure if Geese are the future - admittedly, they do sound more unique than most indie bands I've heard, and even if that's not quite right, many psychedelic indie bands don't sound as fully formed as Geese. But at the same time, I've seen online comments say they're the new face of rock, which doesn't sit right with me. Part of this is because I don't want all rock to sound like Getting Killed - I personally wouldn't mind if Geese changed their sound, because this album is unique enough as it is. Another reason is that whilst I do love the album, I don't love it enough to believe it's going to change music forever. I wouldn't mind being proven wrong, of course.

I mean, I'm not sure if I should take opinions from the internet all that seriously. Of course some will say Geese are the greatest rock band right now, but I'd like to bet 2026 will bring along a new band which is even more unique than Geese, and suddenly everyone's forgotten about Getting Killed. Hell, I've listened to a few albums this decade heralded as some of music's best, and failed to see the appeal. I can accept it's great, but the best music can offer? I'm not sure.

I'm only bringing this up because I feel like it's relevant to mentioning an album that's been as acclaimed as Getting Killed. I love it, yes, but I'm rather indifferent to the hype. All I can say is I'll be looking forward to their next album and where they take their sound.