Only geese and death are certain in life. Taxes are a mere third, at least, in the eyes of Geese. The Cameron Winter-fronted band are back in stylish form. Gearing up for their album, Getting Killed, the band kicks out at what is no doubt slowly killing people. The “don’t tread on me” crowd will love this one, especially as their inability to read the subtler tone of the song will prevail. God bless the States’ stupidity. A trumpet in one hand, revolver in the other, feels like a lyric from 4D Country, but it proves to be a startling image for their upcoming album. Taxes is a phenomenal introduction to this sound, refreshing as ever in a sea of faux alternative rock. Winter is one of the great lyricists of the modern day, and a song like Taxes only adds to that mesmerising discography of his.
Geese follow up 3D Country well, but they sound more influenced by the deep cuts on their EP than the mood of their 2023 album. A slow burn of a song contained in a three-minute blast. Passionate performance is crucial to this. Winter has a mesmerising voice. Contrast it with the deeper vocal heard on 4D Country and you would be forgiven for thinking Taxes has a different vocalist. His range is staggering and remains a crucial part of these new songs from Geese. Taxes is a song dependent on the instrumental rise. A slowed but sure build comes from those mesmerising first notes of percussion. It’s a song of contemplation, an acceptance of hellfire and damnation, but still a confusion over why it happens. “Nobody deserves this” is the immediate contrast to a man accepting the fire and brimstone. Taxes has a reflection on the life well-lived within. There are subtler messages at play on Taxes than a desire not to pay them.
An ambiguous song at the best of times. Taxes will work much better in conjunction with the rest of Getting Killed. These are the hair-raising thrills of a man without care, backed by musicians who are acutely aware that the finer details are the most important part of the broad-ranging lyrics. Taxes, death, and love are all part of it. It borrows a little too much from the idiom. While a short spot of work evolving the letter from Benjamin Franklin to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, there is little extra to add without the context of the album. Taxes is sure to work with the rest of that work around it, but it struggles to stand out on its own. A bold choice for a single? Perhaps. But it’s a chance nonetheless to experience the ambition and spontaneity of Geese as a working unit. They are keeping their listeners guessing once more, and that is where they find their best works.
Taxes is more of a warm-up than the end purpose of their Getting Killed release. It’s a chance to reconnect with the band for those who have not slipped 4D Country into their gym playlist. Getting Killed sounds like a massive step from the band, who are discontent with the stumbles of modern life. Instead, they gear up to face those big moments head-on, the detractions of the modern world in full swing. Let it shine until the context of the album gives it a new layer, a necessary final piece to the puzzle. Taxes on its own is a short victory for the band and a clear example of their changing musical direction, but it does need that boost of album material to hammer home its meaning.
