GRETA VAN FLEET, the GRAMMY-winning, GOLD-certified rock’n’roll band, have shared their visionary new video for the song “Age of Machine”. The video can be viewed HERE.

The video creates a new universe filled with symbolism and open to interpretation, with whispers of reflections on modernism. It is a response, a tiny piece of art in a very large conversation – four brothers and friends who spend very little time online, filled with questions – where is technology taking us, what does it all mean, and what are we trading in exchange? The video addresses the crumbling beauty around us, but leaves the final significance to the viewer – whether that narrative be focused on climate, industrialism, intimacy, self confidence, tradition, humanity itself, or otherwise. The only clear concept in the video is that the band chooses life. 

The “Age of Machine” music video was co-directed by Greta Van Fleet and Matthew Daniel Siskin. The new song released last Friday with the announcement of The Battle at Garden’s Gate, the band’s new album due April 16, 2021 (Lava/Republic Records).

After three years, one-million concert tickets sold across five continents, four consecutive #1 singles, a GRAMMY Award, and performances on “The Tonight Show” and “Saturday Night Live,” GRETA VAN FLEET are hurtling into the future with their second album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate due April 16, 2021 (Lava/Republic Records).  The album can be pre-ordered HERE.

A bold evolution from the band’s 2018 full-length debut Anthem of the Peaceful Army, The Battle At Garden’s Gate came together primarily on the road or while in the studio after the runaway success of 2017’s “Highway Tune” led to the band packing up, leaving home, and eagerly soaking up new experiences on an extended road trip around the world. 

Accordingly, Greta Van Fleet poured everything they experienced into these new songs – the music reflects their spiritual and intellectual growth, increased awareness of the inequalities plaguing the modern world, and deep empathy for what other people are going through. 
 
“We realized that while growing up, we had been shielded by many things, and we were unaware of a lot of things,” says drummer Danny Wagner.  “And then we were thrown out into this huge world, and it was a bit of a culture shock at first.  But as we started to travel a lot, meet new and different people and experience different cultures, our definition of ‘normal’ changed.”

“I suppose that everything has changed except what got us here in the first place,” adds bassist Sam Kiszka.  “Everything – our perception of the world, perception of life itself, what it means to be an artist, what it means to be part of a beautiful, gorgeous society.  We’ve gained a larger understanding of why we’re all here.”
 
In general, the album’s arrangements are spacious and leisurely, giving the music pleasing dynamics, as the band touches on all manners of rock ‘n’ roll.  The Battle at Garden’s Gate is cinematic, capturing the breathtaking energy of an exciting fight scene or the smoldering passion of a brooding, heroic protagonist saving the day.  The new music also illustrates that the members of Greta Van Fleet are paving the way for a new generation of musicians – ones that use rock ‘n’ roll’s foundational elements to build an entirely new sonic blueprint.
 
Sonically, The Battle at Garden’s Gate also feels bracingly modern, an embodiment of genre-blended musical freedom.  Recorded in Los Angeles with Greg Kurstin (Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney), the album is ambitious and expansive, marked by epic journeys such as the second single, “Age of Machine,” released today (check it out HERE), and the Top 5 rock hit “My Way, Soon,” which boasts a towering chorus hook and rip-it-up-and-start-again lyrics.
 
Josh explains, “It’s very dynamic, lyrically speaking.  And that’s the human experience.  It’s much more than pain or fear; it’s also beauty.  People need people, and love is important.”  Lyrically, The Battle at Garden’s Gate muses about the influence of technology on modern life; the role conflict plays in the global sphere; the deceptive fulfillment of tangible riches; and philosophical questions about life, love and power.

“There was a lot of self-evolution happening during the writing of this album that was prompted by experiences I had, experiences we all had, so a lot of contemplation occurred,” Josh says, while Jake adds, “It’s reflecting a lot of the world that we’ve seen, and I think that it’s reflecting a lot of personal truth.  What Josh does very well with the lyrics is telling ancient tales with a contemporary application.”
 
For Josh, working with Kurstin provided the confidence he needed to push his songwriting into these vivid dimensions.  “I’m always a little bit hesitant about my abilities as an artist; I think a lot of artists feel that way,” he says.  “But Greg hovering over me while I’m on the piano, taking an interest in what I was doing – that was really important for me.”
 
That added confidence is obvious.  Josh sounds commanding on each song, stretching his already-acrobatic voice to newer heights, while the instrumentalists fearlessly push themselves into new territory.  Easy going organ and acoustic folk-rock riffs drive one song, while another ends in a torrent of guitar noise that rivals Neil Young’s onstage guitar freakouts with Crazy Horse.  “For all of us, the performances – and the aspects of them that are captured – preserve where we’re at musically in time right now,” Jake says.
 
The future is unwritten, and the sky’s the limit for these curious travelers and truth-seekers.  Josh says,  “certainly after this, we’ve grown in so many ways.  This album has taught us a lot, about life in general, about ourselves, about all of us, about the world we live in.”

Today, GRETA VAN FLEET releases its first new song in more than a year, “My Way, Soon” (Lava/Republic Records.)  The song is a liberating and jubilant track that celebrates and reflects the band’s personal transformation over the past three years.  Also released is the track’s companion music video, which was shot, edited, and directed by the band.  Go HERE to check out “My Way, Soon”.

When Greta Van Fleet released “Highway Tune” in March of 2017, a song that they wrote in their parent’s garage before any of them had turned 18, they had no idea the change it would bring to their lives.  The song would go on to become an international hit and top Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Singles chart.   “Highway Tune” would be followed by three more consecutive #1 singles, a debut album that entered Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Top Album Sales charts at #1, a Grammy Award for “Best Rock Album,” appearances on “The Tonight Show” and “Saturday Night Live,” a Gold-certified debut album, an overflow crowd at their Coachella debut, a personal phone call from Elton John inviting them to perform at his Academy Awards Viewing Party, and most consequentially, 246 sold-out tour dates in 13 countries over five continents.

The four Greta Van Fleet band members – Josh and his twin brother Jake Kiszka (guitars), younger brother Sam (bass, keyboards), and long-time family friend Danny Wagner (drums) – were still under the legal drinking age, and two of them hadn’t yet graduated from high school.  However, within a few months, they left their safe and familiar family homes in Frankenmuth, Michigan, and entered a whole new – and entirely unanticipated – whirlwind of a world.  A world where they would learn and grow beyond their wildest imagination

As Danny explains, “The definition of ’normal’ has very much broadened over the past couple of years, and it has affected us as musicians, especially in the writing and recording of this new album.  We realized that while growing up, we had been shielded by a lot of things, we were unaware of a lot of things.   And then we were thrown out into this huge world, and it was a bit of a culture shock at first.”

“We’ve seen how people live in different parts of the world,” added Sam, “and we’ve developed intrinsic respect for different cultures and people.  We’ve gone from driving down a highway to a show and seeing endless miles of shantytowns in Sao Paulo, to playing some of the richest places on earth.” 

Added Jake, “The more we’ve seen – different cultures, people, and traditions – we’ve also seen a similarity between ourselves and these different cultures.  It surprises me how similar we all are.”