Amidst the pop, rap, and R&B that comprised most of 2025’s releases, rock managed to release its first mainstream album not powered by nostalgia in a long while: Getting Killed, the third release from Brooklyn alt band Geese. While many rock records dropped in the 2020s tend to be panned as unoriginal legacy acts (like Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Unlimited Love) or fly well under the radar of most listeners (like Fontaines D.C.’s Romance), Getting Killed surprised music lovers by being one of the most popular releases of 2025, competing with huge artists like Playboi Carti and Bad Bunny. With the album’s shocking popularity, some listeners wondered if the band, and especially the frontman Cameron Winter, could be the push rock music needs to regain the glory it had at the peak of its popularity in the end of the 20th century.
Just one listen of Geese’s triumphant release and it’s easy to see why both old and new rock lovers embraced it as much as they did. Getting Killed combines aspects from several decades of music, from the danceable and heavy tracks of the 70s in “Bow Down,” to the harsh but rhythmic metal of the 80s in “Trinidad,” and especially reveling in the slow and climactic self-loathing grunge and alternative music popular in the 90s on “Taxes” and “Au Pays du Cocaine.” The rhythm section of the band, drummer Max Bassin and bassist Dominic Digesu, are stellar, with their powerful beats providing a firm backbone to every track. Guitarist Emily Green also shows herself to be one of the most talented instrumentalists working today, echoing Johnny Greenwood and Joey Santiago in her subtly complex playing that lies just under the surface of the almost overpowering vocals.
Speaking of which, although the rest of the band is excellent, vocalist Cameron Winter is easily the standout of the group. On Getting Killed, his raspy and nasally baritone permeates through every song. His gut-wrenching screeches on “Trinidad” and his weepy melody on “Taxes” evoke every alternative singer from Jeff Mangum to Gordon Gano. However, some say the album isn’t even his best vocal outing. His solo project Heavy Metal, released in January of 2025, established him as a singer to be revered as much as any pop artist around. His deeply personal songwriting and singular whiny voice are on full display on tracks like “Try As I May” and “Love Takes Miles.” While it’s a much more stripped-back and languid album than Getting Killed (and unfortunately, the lack of Green is very felt as some of the instrumentals are a little lackluster for how exemplary the singing is), Winter burst out of the underground and declared a new age of rock for all ages, whether a fan of classic rock, alt rock, or anything in between.
Even though they’re relatively new to the attention, publications like GQ are already calling Geese “Gen Z’s first great American rock band.” Their rise was extremely meteoric, and while it still remains to be seen what they do with the rest of their careers, it’s clear that they’re intent on reviving rock to its zenith in the 90s. And so far, they’re doing pretty damn well.
