ALBUM REVIEW: Starcatcher – Greta Van Fleet
GRETA VAN FLEET have had an interesting trajectory in music since the release of their first single Highway Tune in 2017. Not only have the blues rock band received accolades for their performances and recorded material, including a Grammy for Best Rock Album for their EP From The Fires, but they’ve drawn an equal amount of criticism, with many calling them derivative of bands like LED ZEPPELIN. Whilst taking these comparisons on the chin, the four-piece have continued to expand on their sound and explore different sides of hard rock in their music, leading to their third album Starcatcher. Have they proved their critics wrong with this new release, or are we experiencing a repeat from years prior?
In truth, Starcatcher expands on the band’s sound, style, and influences and encompasses all of the members’ own styles to create a unique experience that goes above and beyond their previous material. From the beginning of Fate Of The Faithful, the blues rock foundation is still there, strong as ever, but there are added elements from psychedelia that harken back to the late 60s/early 70s, a sound that’s very on trend at the moment. Within the whole of Starcatcher, GRETA VAN FLEET showcase their evolution in songwriting and knowledge of classic rock to create new, exciting and uniquely iconic songs throughout this body of work.
Songs like Waited All Your Life, Sacred The Thread, The Archer, Meeting The Master and Farewell For Now encompass this new evolution. In them, the separate parts from each of the band members exude so much fantastic musicianship, but together showcase the band in a stronger position musically and thematically. The best example of this is in The Archer, which begins with a lush and vibrant guitar riff that creates an underbelly of gorgeous sound that the rest of the layers of bass, lead guitar and drums balance beautifully around. On top are some of the best vocals from Josh Kiszka that deliver captivating lyrics that take the listener onto another plain sonically.
The only downspot in the record is fifth track, Runway Blues. The song’s not bad at all, on the contrary, it’s fantastic. It feels like an improvised jam between the band that is fun, light and free, creating a good change within the album that returns to the typical blues rock style expected from the band, but an energetic and good heavy change of pace. The problem lies unfortunately in the track’s length. The song clocks in at one minute and seventeen seconds, which compared to the lengths of the other tracks on the album – between four and five minutes each – is incredibly short. It also ends with a fade-out, which is inserted quite abruptly to close the song out when it sounds like it could easily keep going. Maybe it’s a jam GRETA VAN FLEET like to perform in full for their live shows, but as a song on the record, it feels weird to cut it short when the others are played in full.
Overall, aside from that, GRETA VAN FLEET have delivered an exceptional psychedelic blues rock album that should please both the long-term hard blues fans the band initially attracted whilst also pleasing the newer fans drawn to the psychedelic side of the band. By harnessing the two styles together, Starcatcher entices the listener with stunning guitar riffs, remarkable drum rhythms, gorgeous basslines and incredible vocals that deliver on each theme and story the lyrics want to depict for each song. Old and new GRETA VAN FLEET fans will enjoy this record and anyone who has never listened to the band before should be impressed and intrigued by their evolution in style. In all, a great third release that many will return to for years to come.
Rating: 9/10
Starcatcher is set for release on July 21st via Lava/Republic/EMI Records.
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