There is nothing like hearing a record that reminds you of something you can’t put your finger on. Geese frontman Cameron Winters’s debut solo record, Heavy Metal, made me feel nostalgic and yet totally memorized by the originality and frenetic looseness of Cameron’s performances. Throughout ten songs, Cameron embraces the experimental vocal styles of His past work in Geese over some exciting and sometimes very lo-fi instrumentals.

Made in many motels during the course of his last year on a massive arena tour opening for King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, Cameron was able to reach some sort of catharsis while recording these songs late into the night all by himself and occasionally following asleep in the middle of takes. Cameron’s talents as a multi-instrumentalist are showcased very well on this album and are performed with so much intention and care.

The Opening track of this record is the soft and oddly complex The Rolling Stones, a song that, with more listens, is a brilliant opening statement that sets the tone perfectly with the first words gently singing, “I will keep breaking cups till my left-hand looks raw, until my miracle drugs write the miracle song” the vocal samples at the end are one of a kind and add a texture over the song that changes the feel of the whole thing. Nausicaa (Love Will Be Revealed) is another fun, smooth rock track with some really cool dynamics and lyrics, as well as distorted backing vocals screaming the title loud and proud. The next track, Love Takes Miles, is one of the standout bangers off this one and is easily one of the highest energy performances of his. The mood shifts to the sad and meditative Drinking Age.

Cameron’s writing from the perspective of a hopeless alcoholic and presenting those lyrical ideas in the way he does feels incredibly fresh on the record and is one of the most crushing songs he has worked on yet. The grandiose light-heartedness of Cancer Of The Skull is infectious and has some classic chord changes and some really textural instrumental passages of horns, keys and even Mouth Harps. Cameron’s lyrical style is so specific on this album, and I think Cancer Of The Skull is another showcase of his freedom on these songs as a storyteller and a lyricist. There isn’t a miss of this record in terms of substance and quality, with Cameron bending his shape as a songwriter on every song to consistently serve the record as a whole. Try as I May is a lovely keyboard ballad with some really impressive harmonies and string passages. The next track, We’re Thinking the Same Thing, is another strong track off the record and one of the most intimate performances on the album, very reminiscent of Heroin by the Velvet Underground.

The structures of these songs are no short of experimental, sometimes building tension on one part of the whole song while adding odd instrumental textures until it cuts off randomly out of nowhere. At the same time, the songs that do have a verse chorus structure will be played in a frantic and disorienting fashion. A perfect example of that is Nina + Field Of Cops, which is probably the most stressful piano ballad ever made, yet it may be one of the most entertaining and maximalist tracks on the album. The last two tracks off the record, $0 and Can’t Keep Anything are some of the strangest and prettiest songs I’ve heard end a record in a very long time. $0 showcases Cameron’s Gorgeous and expressive vocal runs over a bed of pianos and string passages with pitch-shifted guitar lines modulating for a janky yet gorgeous ending to the lengthy epic. Can’t Keep Anything is the perfect palate cleanser after $0 and a stunning end to this brilliant debut from Cameron Winter.

order Heavy Metal by Cameron Winter HERE