Between front man Josh Kiszka’s boundless vocal range, the group’s elaborate onstage ensembles, and a sound that puts a fresh spin on classic rock, Greta Van Fleet provides nothing short of a feast for the senses. They’re also a laugh riot. (The Michigan-bred band is something of a family affair, if you couldn’t tell just by looking at them: Josh’s twin, Jake, plays lead guitar; Sam, their younger brother, on bass; and drummer Daniel Wagner is a close friend.)
Josh and Sam are the half of the band that Zoom with me from Nashville, their spirits high and brotherly banter quick and funny. Yet both are deadly serious about their craft, describing how they carefully calibrate each song, outfit, and pyrotechnics-packed performance for maximum effect.
Photo: Anna Lee
Greta Van Fleet first captivated audiences with their second EP, 2017’s From the Fires, which earned them a Grammy for best rock album in 2019. Now the band is set to release their fourth album, Starcatcher, on July 21 and embark on a world tour not long thereafter. Asked how they’re feeling about fans finally hearing the new record, the Kiszka brothers don’t mince words: Josh quips that he’s “scared shitless.”
“I’m surprised every time a song comes out, and I get a notification on my phone that Greta Van Fleet released a new single,” Sam wryly adds.
Their anticipation is owed, in part, to the unconventional creative process from which Starcatcher emerged. The band went into the studio with a loose structure for half of the album’s tracks, leaving the rest to spur-of-the-moment jamming. “One of our main goals for Starcatcher was to create something candid, exciting, and authentic,” Sam says. “It’s likely the least-preconceived album we’ve ever put together,” adds Josh. “So much of it came to life in the studio, and it was very lively in that sense. A lot of the things that were happening and recorded on the final take only happened once.” He continues, “I had to embrace this philosophy that the only thing we have to hold onto is letting go, because typically I’m very neurotic and want to have things exact.”