SUMMER SCHOOL ZONE: Geese: Home-grown or industry plants?

Cameron Winter, Emily Green, Max Bassin and Dominic Digesu make up the band Geese, an indie-rock, alternative group that has seen massive growth throughout 2025 with the release of “Getting Killed,” their third studio album. 

With this newfound success, they were able to perform on “SNL” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” as well as at Coachella, with even more performances to come such as at Lollapalooza, Shaky Knees and Minnesota Yacht Club. 

Geese also have found new audiences to click with as they have more than 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. New fans have really enjoyed the unique sound that comes with Geese, with some even calling them “Gen Z’s first great American rock band.” 

Although there are many highs to Geese’s new profound success, there is one low: the accusations of Geese being deemed “industry plants.”

To understand it more clearly, an industry plant is a music industry term for when an artist is backed by a major record label company, industry connections or just nepotism, yet they present themselves as independent, self-made and home-grown. 

The debate has been on a rise for some time now, but no real answer has been given. However, in order to answer that question, Geese’s history needs to be addressed, as that will help determine if they truly are home-grown or if they are industry plants.

Geese formed in 2016 in Brooklyn, New York, with Winter, a vocalist and keyboardist; Green, a guitarist; Bassin, a drummer; Digesu, a bass player; and Hudson, a guitarist. 

They all still were in high school and young teens. They released an EP and two albums during this time, yet all three have been completely scrubbed off the internet. 

They were planning to split after high school in 2020, as they all had been accepted to different colleges. Instead, their demos caused a record label bidding war, eventually signing to Partisan Records. 

In 2021, they released their “debut” record, “Projector.” This album was met with high praise as critics and fans alike both praised the genre-blending, ambitious-sounding style of music. 

In 2023, Geese released “3D Country,” and this album received even higher praise than before, attracting new fans as this album became a classic in Geese’s discography. “3D Country” takes on a different tone than “Projector,” with western and cowboy sounds and style of music. “3D Country” is an amazing listen and, according to some, is one of the best alternative rock records of the 2020s. 

Hudson left the band the same year to focus on his education, which caused Winter to switch from keyboardist to guitarist while still performing as a vocalist for the group. 

An explosive response to Geese came in 2025 when they released “Getting Killed.” It was met with even higher praise than “3D Country” and launched the band into superstardom, and it is not confusing to see why. 

“Getting Killed” has tracks such as “Trinidad,” “Cobra,” “Au Pays Du Cocaine” and “Taxes” as the stars of this album, though that does not mean there aren’t hidden gems on this album. Songs such as “Husbands,” “Getting Killed,” “Half Real,” “Bow Down” and “Long Island Here I Come” are some fan favorites, and while they aren’t as popular as “Au Pays Du Cocaine,” they still are worth a listen or two. 

Pitchfork gave “Getting Killed” a 9 out of 10 because “singer-songwriter Cameron Winter, has produced one of the best, strangest and most compelling rock records of the year.” This led to Geese performing on “SNL” with Keke Palmer as host, performing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and selling out the “Getting Killed” tour. 

This album is one of the best albums of 2025 and is worth a listen.

With praise, there always is criticism, and Geese is no exception. Many people wondered where Geese came from with, “They’re just making up new people now,” said on an Instagram post. The music also has been criticized with many Reddit users deeming the band’s performance on “SNL” “potentially the worst musical guest in ‘SNL’ history.” 

I would like to make the argument though, that this is how parents of the 1990s were reacting to bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden to name a few. 

Music always is changing, and peoples’ tastes always are changing, so while some might not enjoy this kind of music, there are many more that do. Another Reddit user says, “It’s amazing how we’re being force-fed this astroturfed band all because the lead singer’s parents are in the business.” They claim Winter is a product of nepotism, which means he comes from a prestigious background and has connections to companies. It just simply isn’t true at all. 

Yes, Winter comes from parents who were in the industry, and yes, he attended a private Brooklyn school where Geese formed, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented. 

Geese is one of the most unique and good bands we have in today’s time. 

They had no backing to any major record label as they were signed to Partisan records, an independent record label. They have organically grown their audience with new music time and time again, proving that success takes time. 

Many also associate the band’s success with “Getting Killed,” which is false. While it was the album that got them known by multiple audiences, they’ve had a quiet audience brewing during their two first albums. Geese is a very promising band that still has more music to make.