Nu metal without a crowd is like Limp Bizkit without Wes Borland—it's just not the same. Whether it’s a sea of half-naked people à la Woodstock 99 or two intoxicated bar hoppers who happen to dig your music, few things are as dopamine-inducing as making a hungry crowd eat out of the palm of your hand. Right now, nobody in the game seems to understand this infectious feeling better than Jackson Foster, frontman of Silly Goose.
If you like a good bounce riff as much as the next guy, yet the name Silly Goose doesn’t ring any bells, then I am sorry to inform you that you are in fact missing out. These rap rock prodigies from the ATL spent the first half of the 2020’s playing guerilla style shows at Subways and car parks of Danny Wimmer festivals. And as of September 2024, they can officially cross their hometown’s MARTA rail network off their list of “unconventional gigs we should figure out how to do somehow”. What’s even more mind boggling is that this band managed to shoot a video for their latest single at said unconventional gig without fucking it up.
Lets's be clear, Jackson Foster is not someone to be trifled with. That should be your first impression upon hearing "Bad Behavior", the opening track on Silly G's brand new eponymous EP. The Reveille-esque instrumentation grabs you by the throat as the vocalist shamelessly raps and squeals his ego-filled manifesto. Lyrics in the spirit of "I said it, I meant it, so fuck you if you're offended" would likely leave an uninviting taste in my mouth if they came from the pen of Ronnie Radke—an outspoken Silly Goose enjoyer. For Foster and his bandmates, however—who self-finance everything through merch sales among other hustles every modern day starving artist has to rely on—those lyrics only make sense. The music video alone makes their outpouring of love for their audience and sense of community around the band evident enough. Therefore, a little bit of arrogance and personality are not out of place here.
"Bad Behavior" is followed up by three songs that had already seen the light of day this year. The cocky, "swaggarocious" energy found on "Tsunami" remains an absolute highlight from this trio. The SpongeBob references, combined with the astral bridge section, make it arguably the best offering from the Goose to date. Sure, these musicians have crafted a formula effective enough to the point at which stretching their legs in the studio feels unnessecary. But when Foster trades his metaphorical red cap for a serious singing approach, floating on post-grunge guitars, it surprisingly works well.
Many classic nu metal records utilize moments of fast-paced punk rock as a means to disturb the peace even more. Snot has "Deadfall" and "Mr. Brett", Slipknot has "Eeyore" and "Get This". While Silly Goose certainly dip their toes in this uncharted territory on "Everything Is Over Now", it's Foster's proper attempt at clean vocals taking the cake once more. With rapping, screaming, crowd control and now singing under his belt, the "Fred Durst Jr." label coined by YouTube commenters was to be expected. On the other hand, I would like to remind you that unlike Foster, Durst was only doing one of those things in his early 20s. The EP closer's dark theme paints a dreadful picture for an otherwise chest-puffing band on the verge of greatness. "And I'm done trying/And I don't think that I can do a thing". I mean, I guess we can't really claim you if you don't write about the pain and suffering at least once. Apart from that, the cherry on top comes in the form of the more complex-than-usual riffing this time.
Back in August—at the end of their impromptu Chicago performance—Silly Goose made a vow to headline Lollapalooza in five years. That means you still have five years left to get your hands on some of that Silly G flavor and claim your status as a "I knew them before they went mainstream" fan. You can start by catching them live this fall alongside UnityTX & Mugshot.
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