Goose, photo by Juliana Bernstein

Goose have shared “Torero,” the second preview single from their imminent sixth studio album, BIG MODERN! Set to release on June 12 via No Coincidence Records, Goose’s follow-up to two impressive studio dispatches last year fixes the band’s attention on the grinding and exhilarating blur of modern life, staring deep into the screen and the reflection streaking over it with songs both lyrically and sonically suited to meet the moment. Their second advance offering continues the story through some simmering neon synesthesia.

“Torero” is an evolution of the glitzy ‘80s pop-rock that’s long captivated the band, as evidenced by their gleefully nostalgic cover repertoire and incorporation of the era’s sonic hallmarks into their ever-shifting genre fusion. Here, they make those potent tropes their own, leaning on an insistent synth pulse, tightly-wound guitar riff and Phil Collins-grade arena drums to close in on a sense of mounting unease. Tech-driven tension, like white-knuckles on the wheel and a heel planted on the gas, races to a final cathartic breakdown, held together by an arrestingly lyrical guitar solo from frontman Rick Mitarotonda.

“As I see it, all these ideas we’ve been playing with are an absurdist reflection of the confusion of existing in today’s world,” Mitarotonda told Rolling Stone about the publicity stunts that introduced BIG MODERN! “The album is a dispatch from interesting times, without judgment or superiority. We’re all in it the same – the exhilarating, disorienting experience of constantly being so ‘connected’. The overstimulating, high-resolution world of content streaming directly into your brain, in real time, all the time. Synthetic, prepackaged human emotion on demand for your entertainment. The nightly doomscroll bliss. The relentless worship of the projection of an image of self to the world. Identity as a brand. Your FACE… on your FACE. Somehow, more becomes less. Something is lost, but we’re not totally sure what it is. It’s awesome, and it’s terrifying.”

Goose will return to the stage this weekend for their second-annual Viva El Gonza destination festival, staging at San José del Cabo, Mexico’s El Ganzo Oasis from May 7-9. Beyond three headline sets from the hosts, the event will welcome high-profile peers like My Morning Jacket and Jim James, Cory Wong, LP Giobbi, LEISURE, The Disco Biscuits and more. Find tickets and more information on the band’s full tour calendar at goosetheband.com/tour.

BIG MODERN! is available to pre-order and pre-save now. Listen to “Torero” below, and read on for the album’s full tracklist.

BIG MODERN! – Goose:

1. (begin)
2. Big Modern!
3. Scavenger
4. (you are here)
5. ((savengersspell))
6. Good2B
7. MEDIA
8. Torero
9. (faena)
10. POP
11. SALT
12. (again)
13. Good Times // End Times
14. ((nocturne))
15. (((postplace)))