LP, Clear Vinyl
Republic Records (2023) US
Grammy Award-winning retro rockers Greta Van Fleet follow-up 2021's The Battle At Garden's Gate with their much anticipated third studio album Starcatcher. Produced by the ever in demand Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile) and recorded at the legendary RCA Studios in Nashville, TN, the band utilized the large recording room to capture the pure energy of their world-renowned live performances. The LP comes introduced by the epic lead single "Meeting The Master" which the band shares, "peers into an esoteric world heeded by the word of a wise teacher. Sung in the voice of a devout believer, and eventual group exclamation, the song details the love these fervent followers have for their teacher and their firm belief in his vision. It's an exotic spiritual journey. A dark comedy that inevitably ends in chaos."
Throughout the 10-song collection the band explores the duality of fantasy versus reality and the contrast between light and darkness. "We had this idea that we wanted to tell these stories to build a universe," says drummer Danny Wagner. "We wanted to introduce characters and motifs and these ideas that would come about here and there throughout our careers through this world." Greta Van Fleet took multiple concepts from critically acclaimed second album The Battle At Garden's Gate and brought them into Starcatcher, although Sam Kiszka's take on the new record's big ideas hint instead at new beginnings. "When I imagine the world of 'Starcatcher', I think of the cosmos," he says. "It makes me ask a lot of questions, like 'Where did we come from?' or 'What are we doing here?' But it's also questions like, 'What is this consciousness that we have, and where did it come from?'"