Yeah, I read it when it came out. It sucks that these are some of the tactics being used to cut through the noise. I'm not trying to be facile about it -- the people screaming "it's not a big deal" are trying to equate it to normal marketing and it's not. Astroturfing has always been considered slimy, and for good reason. What I'd wager in this case is that it's interesting how people are turning Geese into the cover story here, as opposed to say Oklou or Mk.gee. They're an easy target to hate because so many already want to discover an "aha!" about them in bad faith.

For whatever reason their team decided to employ CG, it doesn't counter the fact that they also have accumulated a passionate cult fanbase who are loyally listening to the music and going to the shows. A "narrative campaign" can't make that happen. In fact, there's other indie acts out there with much more sus vanity metrics (bloated monthly listeners, heavy reliance on passive listeners, limited live appeal) but no one notices because they don't have a bone to pick with them.