I’ve spent my day absorbing New York band Geese’s debut album “Projector,” and after months of only listening to “First World Warrior,” I’m kicking myself for not hopping on this train earlier.

The band was hyped early on, for what turned out to be good reason: they might have released the best rock album of 2021.

The comparisons to New York City predecessors like Television and the Strokes are already exhausting, and I think Geese deserve the right to develop as a band without expectations like those on them. Dare I say they’ve already surpassed those comparisons? Maybe it’s ironic of me to say such a thing immediately after mentioning unfair expectations, but “Projector” is really fricking good.

It’s a debut that might one day be lumped in with “Is This It” and “Turn on the Bright Lights” in the world of great debuts (it’s a coincidence that these are both New York bands, they just happen to have spectacular first records).

“Bottle” thrashes like the song that kick off the album, but then changes tone with a single chord change, accompanied by a distant piano. It’s tucked away towards the end of the album, hidden by ragers like “Low Era” and gems like the aforementioned “First World Warrior,” but it’s just as deserving of the spotlight as any of the singles, especially given its glistening outro.

“Opportunity is Knocking” is a great example of Geese’s ability to drastically change a song within the confines of itself. It starts with a guitar riff that could fit seamlessly anywhere on the album, but just as seamlessly leads itself into more keyboard-led krautrock highways.

Not only do songs change in tone midway through, they also change in rhythm. This can be seen in “Exploding House,” which jumps between relaxed grooves and cacophonic deconstructions where a chorus or verse might have once been.

I prefer the second half of the album, besides “Bottle,” “Opportunity is Knocking” and “Exploding House,” also include the title track and its guitar line that might take the cake as the best on the record, turning the gain up to segue the band into an unhinged last minute.

It’s too early for any speculation, but it’s exciting to imagine the road Geese might take as they continue to develop as a band. “Projector” is a seasoned, clean album that features songs that should be mainstays in Geese setlists for years to come.

Ryan Meyer is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at rameyer@eiu.edu or at 581-2812.