Projector is out now!
Image: Supplied.
Brooklyn quintet Geese have dropped their hotly anticipated debut album, Projector. We caught up with the band to chat about the album, producing their music themselves, their collaborative process and so much more!
Written, produced, and recorded by the band in their home studio, the record documents life an adolescent leading into adulthood and the fears and anxieties that follow. Created during their junior and senior years of high school, the collection of songs brings confessional and relatable lyricism that offers something for listeners of all ages to grasp to.
Playing out atop post-punk sonics, vocalist Cameron Winter, guitarist Gus Green, guitarist Foster Hudson, bassist Dom DiGesu, and drummer Max Bassin work together harmoniously to craft captivating and superb soundscapes that showcase their technical precision.
Tell us a bit about your musical background and Geese’s origin story…
The five of us grew up playing in music programs around Brooklyn, so we had been performing in small venues for our parents before Geese started in earnest. We started out of our drummer’s basement in high school, out of a drive to play our own music and a need to start something that had nothing to do with high school. We wrote Projector as our farewell album to the handful of people who knew about us, and then intended to go to college. The rest is history.
Congratulations on the release of your debut album, Projector. The record documents life as an 18 year old and figuring out your place in the world. Walk us through the themes explored across the body of work...
Most of the lyrics touch on a sort of city-induced anxiety that I’d been feeling at that time in my life. Some climate change stuff, girlfriend stuff, spiritual stuff, etc. I tried to keep the themes direct enough to be meaningful but broad enough to make it feel personalized to different kinds of people.
Could you tell us a bit about your creative process when writing and recording this particular collection of songs?
The bulk of the songs on the album were recorded in Max’s basement; Cameron would spend the school week assembling a demo in his bedroom, and on Friday we would meet at “The Nest” to record it. Creatively, some songs are very much Cameron’s vision, and others were more collaborative. Many of these songs are the first take we cut, since we had to stop playing before the neighbors got pissed.
You wrote, produced and recorded the album entirely yourselves. What are the advantages of having that control over your own music?
The advantage is that we can descend into our own little world while we record. When we were working in Max’s basement, hours would simply disappear as we would stumble our way through writing and recording new songs. Without a producer--or anyone over the age of 20--to aid us, we were forced to figure out everything on our own, which we think plays a big role in how Projector turned out.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about producing your own music whilst making this record?
I think that we learned to trust our instincts. We figured out that as long as we were excited about our music, other people would connect with it as well.
How did the album evolve and change as you were creating it, and were there any tracks left on the cutting room floor that you think might have a life in the future?
Honestly the recording of Projector became pretty streamlined by the end, so there were very few b-sides leftover. In a lot of ways, the sound of the album shaped together without us realizing; once we had our nine songs, we felt like the record had all the music that it needed. Plus, the pandemic started not long after we finished cutting the album, so even if we wanted to add more, we wouldn’t have been able to.
If Projector was a piece of visual art that already exists, which artwork would best capture the essence of the record?
I would say probably a piece of surrealist graffiti art sprayed on top of a billboard or on the side of an abandoned lot--something that you’re whether or not it’s superficial or a carefully thought out piece of art, and you can’t help but gaze at it indefinitely regardless.
Which three songs off the record would you pick to play to someone who had never heard your music, to make them an instant fan?
Fantasies, First World Warrior, and the title track are the highest points on the record for me. They encapsulate the emotions of the record well.
Brooklyn has a diverse and vibrant music scene, who are some of your favourite local acts we should be listening to and why?
Working out of a basement in Fort Greene for four years meant that we unintentionally became a bit of a recluse band, but one of our favorite groups is a band called Brick Distributor. They’re the same age as us, and they make cool stuff.
You’ll be hitting the road, touring across Europe, the UK and North America. What can audiences expect from a Sun Spot live show? Hopefully we’ll see you on Australian stages in the near future!
Expect things to be broken.
RAPID FIRE
Biggest influences?
Led Zeppelin, Swans, Todd Rundgren.
Dream collaboration?
If we did something with Nigel Godrich, I think we would quit show business.
Album that has had the most impact on you?
I don’t think we’ll ever stop listening to Public Strain.
How do you define your musical style in 3 words?
Loud, restless, messy.
Best song of 2021 so far?
MANY HANDS - Lingua Ignota.
If you could create the soundtrack for any film, which one would it be?
Does “Unedited Footage of a Bear” count?
Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus?
Yes.
What was the first song you loved to sing?
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin.
A song you would love to cover on tour?
Myxomatosis - Radiohead.
Album you would listen to on repeat on a road trip?
Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem.
First concert you went to?
Jack White at MSG.
Best concert you have been to?
Clipping at Solid Sound Fest.
First album you ever bought?
The Velvet Underground & Nico.
Would you rather be a Spice Girl or a Backstreet Boy?
Backstreet Boys every day of the week.
What’s your favourite back street?
Nick Carter is a cutie.
Most memorable show you’ve ever performed?
We played Elsewhere a couple weeks ago--the most people we’ve ever played for came to that show. That was big.
Guilty music pleasure?
Beabadobee feeds my Britney Spears persona.
If you could support any artist on tour, who would it be?
Touring with The Flaming Lips would be a dream come true.
An artist you think has had the most influence on the music industry.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
What advice would your current self, give your future self, for a year from now?
Just relax.
The moment you knew you wanted to be a musician?
Playing Led Zeppelin covers at The Bitter End.
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