It’s Okay to Like Geese
Geese are the most talked-about new rock band in years. But thanks to a recent Wired article, they’re now facing a backlash — accused of being privileged, reactionary, and even a “psyop.” It’s everything that’s wrong with music discourse today.
Geese clearly appeal to a crowd who wants music to matter again. That’s good. And not a “psyop,” as Wired claims. (Emma McIntyre / Getty Images for Coachella)
Forget Bad Bunny’s halftime show and the Drake lawsuit: if social media is any indication, this year’s biggest music controversy concerns Brooklyn rock band Geese.
Geese blew up last year, with their latest album Getting Killed earning rave reviews from Paste and Consequence of Sound before topping year-end best album lists by Stereogum and the New York Times. The furor recalled the days when bands getting a coveted 9.0 rating on Pitchfork felt like a musical event.
Even so, enthusiasm has been tempered by an intense backlash, with online commentators now dismissing Geese as industry plants, retreads, and hacks. The frenzy became so elevated that popular music YouTuber Anthony Fantano issued a call for the haters to chill out.
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