Wasteland on the Western Front

Photo Credit: Kyle Berger

Yee (and I can’t stress this enough) H A W. With “3D Country,” five-piece Brooklyn rockers Geese officially kick off Cowboy Season. Following a series of single drops that have pooled massive groundswell, a free show at the Hudson Yards Wells Fargo Stage, and an album release party at TV Eye, the hotly-anticipated follow-up to 2021’s hit debut record, “Projector,” sees the first Gen Z titans of indie rock back at the helm. With all of the hype and buzz swirling around their breakthrough release, the immediate challenge of a sophomore effort aims to answer whether or not their initial success had been a fluke. “3D Country” finds the company of frontman Cameron Winter, bassist Dom DiGesu guitarists Gus Green and Foster Hudson, as well as drummer Max Bassin ruminating on the “ambient dread” of inheriting the hopelessness of a world riddled with disaster. From climate change to political greed to turbulent warfare, our modern lives may make us feel as though we are but a lone cowboy making his way through a broken wilderness.

All of this is made achingly evident on the rowdy, jam band-inspired opener “2122.” Lyrical references abound as Winter invokes Hindu, Egyptian, and Norse canon as though a shaman summoning forth spirits. Of particular note is the inclusion of Kali Yuga – “the age of darkness” in Hinduism; often characterized by moral and spiritual decline, chaos, and suffering. Such is the perfect backdrop for the lone cowboy to wander his way yonder, curious as to whether the world is truly such a 2-dimensional place. The answer comes in the form of the title track “3D Country,” a deeply introspective, shimmering mission statement set out on the endless sprawl. All mentions of Rome (from Trastavere to the Seven Hills) suggest that “Caesar’s old roads” all lead back to one place: “And I saw the dead come alive…/What I saw could make a dead man cry/I’m going home.” There is simply no escaping the outstretched arms of the wasteland, so it would appear. But a cowboy must persevere all the same.

On breakout lead single, “Cowboy Nudes,” Geese demonstrate the newfound heights of their years-long synergy as a deeply in-sync quintet, manically fretting and bongo drumming on an absolutely madcap bridge that just begs to be witnessed in a live capacity. With the chorus, Winter delivers an impassioned “Be my warrior! My love and light!” still aching for love along an unloving frontier. Unquenched affection and flights of fancy persist – “I’ve got eyes for anything moving/Fell in love with a tumbleweed.” It is here that Geese sonically continues to introduce a myriad of instruments into the fold of this record, notably a jangly sitar whose strings cost $80 apiece. Cameron’s vocal range is on full display as he oscillates between syrupy affectations and impassioned yelps on “I See Myself.” “You cut me like a deck of cards/You broke for the fire escape,” he asserts tenderly before bellowing several decibels louder on the refrain. Seven-minute standout “Undoer” sees the band serving up the most overtly prog-rock offering in their discography yet. While lyrically skeletal, the dark, dense instrumentation remains the central focus. A swirling black cloud engulfs the western front as Green and Hudson’s dueling guitars crescendo. Meanwhile, on vocals, Winter’s manic, distorted scowl helps clearly underline the descent of our lead vaquero in such a harsh, unforgiving environ.

“This ancient country is full of snakes,” he warns on “Crusades,” a track dedicated to the pious thumpers of ancient tomes that speak of great love, but employ an even greater violence: “In the daylight I become weightless/I get more faithful every fist I make/Men die, but the Devil is ageless/The Lord He lifts me with every breath I take.” Prosperous is he who uses his faith to punish rather than uplift, and our lone cowboy has little problem with utilizing his physicality as a means to an end. Far more tender is the soulful “Gravity Blues,” perhaps the hidden gem of the entire record. Genuinely warm and heartfelt crooning outfits this track with a sleeve-heartedness and vulnerability not often found in the battered flats of modernity. Perhaps love, too, is but a force of nature that has all the capability to keep us grounded here on earth, while making us feel as though we are floating on high. Continuing to explore the enigma, “Mysterious Love” puts its most inquisitive foot forward. Pain often a byproduct therein, Winter readies himself for imminent collision: “This love is my only window/I will be the airbag/Twenty pounds of glass in my eye.” Crunchy chords and slick riffs usher the track into an extended outro with a mantra that will itch the back of your brain for hours: “Some people are alone forever/Some people are alone forever.” The single closes with a series of false ends that lends itself to a very playful set of interactions onstage, with drummer Max Bassin dictating the length of the fakeouts, and the rest of the band following suit.

The sticky guitar hook on “Domoto” breaks up the intricate storytelling of a land that came to ruin in the wake of love – “You have smelled this country’s breath, you put children on your back.” All of the individual elements build to a vocal climax that calls in yet again that earworm of a lick. “Tomorrow’s Crusades” continues the zealous piety, questioning devotedly “Where would I ever be without you?” Winter likens the world to a ten-headed dog that ate all of its inhabitants and swallowed them whole. We are reminded of the climate calamity that led to this land’s desolation: “Smoke fills the room/Smoke fills your eyes/Smoke fills yours life! We’ve really gone and done it this time.” On closer “St. Elmo,” our stalwart wanderer ruminates on the possibility of optimism in our collective imagination: “Some stories have a sad end/Some sad stories have no fucking point.” In spite of the immense and overwhelming dread that plagues our downtrodden borderland, Winter remains undeterred: “I know the answer.” Even in the face of unrepentant despair, it is the duty of the cowboy to trod along.

With this wildly impressive, sonically inventive second record, Geese have served up the furthest thing from a sophomore slump, imparting tracks that will go on to define the year as a whole. Though we are more than halfway through 2023, I found it doubtful that another album will knock these cowboys off their saddle.