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· Conor Welsch
Studio Precision, Live Spirit
For a band that built its reputation on the spontaneous combustion of the stage, Goose’s latest studio album Everything Must Go is surprisingly composed. But that doesn’t mean it’s restrained.
Instead, it captures something harder: the feeling of control earned through chaos. Across fourteen tracks, the Connecticut quintet tightens its grip without losing its heartbeat - delivering a record that honors their improvisational roots while carving out space for clarity, intention, and songs that stand up on vinyl without needing a 30-minute jam to prove themselves.
The title track “Everything Must Go” sets the tone with atmospheric patience, slowly stretching toward something celestial without ever forcing it. “Give It Time” and “Dustin Hoffman” both showcase Goose’s signature ability to thread melody through groove, layering rhythmic comfort with just enough tension to keep the edges live.
Tracks like “Your Direction” and “Red Bird” feel precision-engineered for flow, building into “Thatch” and “Lead Up” with a pacing that rewards uninterrupted listening. “Animal” and “Atlas Dogs” nod to the band’s most exploratory instincts, while “California Magic” brings unexpected sunshine and vocal playfulness. The final sequence - “Feel It Now,” “Iguana Song,” “Silver Rising,” and “How It Ends” - lands as a proper closer: elegiac, expansive, earned.
This isn’t just a collection of songs. It’s a statement about how much a band can grow without sacrificing the spark that started it all.
Produced with a clear affection for tone, Everything Must Go finds a sweet spot between live energy and studio headroom. Instruments sit naturally in the mix - no one crowding for space. The guitars shimmer. The low end holds. The drums, always a Goose signature, are punchy without feeling overcompressed.
If this album sees a vinyl release (and it deserves one), its dynamics would thrive on wax. There’s air between tracks. Weight in the transitions. A fidelity to touch.
Goose isn’t interested in big pronouncements. Instead, Everything Must Go plays like a meditation on movement. The lyrics nod to travel, distance, fading things, and the blurry line between presence and loss.
Even on tracks with lyrical repetition, there's subtle evolution - a phrase recast, a note bent differently. It mirrors the way the band lives: each performance reshaped by what happened yesterday and what might happen tomorrow.
Everything Must Go doesn’t try to recreate the Goose live experience. It does something rarer: it distills the discipline behind the chaos. It offers a version of the band that’s not smaller, but more focused - the same spirit, viewed through a tighter lens.
This isn’t the soundtrack to a festival set. It’s the version you play when the lights are low, the speakers are warm, and you’re looking for something that lasts beyond the moment.
Best Tracks: “Everything Must Go,” “Thatch,” “Animal,” “Silver Rising”
For Fans Of: Phish, Grateful Dead, My Morning Jacket, Khruangbin