GutterPutter

“God of the sun, I’m taking you down on the inside,” begins the boisterous Cameron Winter in Geese’s sophomore album 3D Country. The Brooklyn-based, five-piece art punk specialists drew notability for their quirkiness since their 2021 debut Projector with its bits of psychedelia. Their lack of notability in the two years that passed gives much room for the band to reinvent themselves toward country rock with a bit of conceptual framework for their next LP. NME describes the album, upon its release, as being “about an uptight cowboy as he wanders through the desert after taking psychedelic drugs, watching the world around him […] unravel in the process.”

Such an idea is a great way to smoothly transition towards a different realm. To hear ‘2122’ kick the album off with the cockiness of the twinged guitars and bass is nothing short of cathartic amidst the near-prophetic murmurs of the end of time as we know it. The abrupt cacophony of drums and horn after the second verse gives the clear impression of Geese’s potential. Just as they demonstrate their ability to write apocalyptic lines without coming off as pretentious, so too can they shock and awe with their instrumentation.  I doubt that there are any other ways that the band could start themselves off with the main thesis being their rise towards being one of the top punk bands in the state.

We can sense the suave confidence rise up over the next two tracks. The title track blends together the tight drumming with the blues-like chord progression and the ¾ beat (kinda?) of the piano which makes for one charming listen. This comes in slight contrast to the subtextual feeling of derangement as the lyrics allude to a second religious awakening after a love interest passed away. Contrary to the song title, ‘Cowboy Nudes’ adds a lovely bit of gospel backing to its chorus as Winter’s character opt to embrace his ambitions with the addition of a tribe-like drumming solo in the second half. With these highlights, you would surely have hoped that what 3D Country has shown is only the tip of an iceberg for more exciting deep cuts that will stimulate your mind. That’s what one could have well dreamed of.

Unfortunately, while there are other highlights like Winter’s impressive singing in the chorus of ‘I See Myself’, the album’s attempt to come off as unhinged might have been executed a bit too well to say the least. The rest of the album, based on the concept that NME had pointed out, largely sees the cowboy acting as if he’s the second coming of Jesus Christ. Tracks like ‘Crusades’ or ‘Domoto’ sought to show us his decline into insanity as he starts to forget about his identity. In practice, the eloquent bits of Biblical references that had once made the first few tracks more endearing of a listen are now detriments as soon as we dive deeper into the album. Even the attempts at garnering sympathy over the devotion to the deceased girlfriend loses its impact with how verbose the lines feel. How are we supposed to empathise with a grieving madman when he quotes, “I am on my way to you, I am Saint Joseph / I will call your name / And I will lift you from the night”. Surely that’s too cult-like to get us to feel sorry for him?

Moreover, the once-spectacular chaos that reign throughout the first three tracks have instead deluged into mindless noise. The production often fails to truly make each little bit of climax land hard in t. ‘Undoer’ is one example where its horn-like guitar riff sounds immense when it’s first used, but its subsequent appearance have made it come off as more grating as its sheen has worn off. ‘Mysterious Love’ attempts to pull off a similar kind of derangement that black midi had done only for it to lose its impact as the country aesthetic is lost during the execution. Whatever bits of distorted note you hear sounds irritating without intent as felt on the final track ‘St. Elmo’.

Even with a bit of redemption from the slower tempo of ‘Gravity Blues’ and ‘Tomorrow’s Crusades’. 3D Country feels like one of the more overhyped albums I have listened to this year. It feels like a whiplash of Geese’s ambitions where the high points of their artistry end up coming off as being verbose or excessive the more they’re used throughout the album. There’s little direction that would help ground the music towards getting into the psyche of the narrator in better detail. Fans of alt-country or art punk would therefore find the premise to be more interesting than the actual performance behind it. Be prepared for a bit of a change-over between solid and just unneeded noise.