Projector

Geese are a quintet of native Brooklyners who formed during their freshman year of high school. They are also one of the most hyped exports to emerge from the borough in years with a complex and energetic sound built from scraps of post-punk, prog, and a deep lineage of New York rock & roll. During the front half of 2020, the band's home-recorded demos suddenly became a target for serious label attention and, having just graduated from high school, Geese found themselves fielding offers from both sides of the Atlantic. New York's Partisan and London's PIAS won out in a joint deal resulting in the release of the band's full-length debut, Projector. Members Cameron Winter (vocals, keyboards), Gus Green (guitar), Foster Hudson (guitar), Dominic DiGesu (bass), and Max Bassin (drums) project a sense of confidence and benefit from the kind of chemistry forged during youth. Over the album's nine tightly arranged cuts, Geese come off far more professional and experienced than they have a right to be. Echoes of Television, the Strokes, and Alt-J, are present in their blend of intricate guitar lines and kinetic rhythms. Opener "Rain Dance" is a captivating and frantic bit of psychedelic post-punk that immediately sets the album's nervy tone. On "Low Era," they mix spidery guitar runs with a moody groove and Winter flexes his range with a rough-hewn falsetto oddly reminiscent of late-'70s John Martyn. Throughout the set, Geese cover a nice range of dynamics, indicating the depth of their influences and tastes. Projector is an impressive debut and all-around solid effort from a band at the start of a promising career. ~ Timothy Monger