New Songs: Greta Van Fleet Release 2 Songs From Upcoming LP Palace Of The People

I was aware that Greta Van Fleet were working on a new album, my buddy Drummer Blake told me, but I just now stumbled upon the fact that they’d released two songs from the new album already, “Saw You Stand” and “Play Your Games.” The new album is called Palace For The People and is due out October 8, 2026.

Greta Van Fleet remains the brothers Kiszka, Josh (vocals), Jake (guitar), and Sam (bass/keyboards) with drummer Danny Wagner.

I hadn’t realized it’d been three years since their last LP, Starcatcher. I went back and listened to that LP after I heard the two new songs and it’s a very solid record. It may not have the rattle your teeth bangers that Black Smoke Rising had, but it’s still four guys utilizing vocals/guitar/bass/drums and banging out solid rock n roll.

I complained about Battle At The Garden Gate, their sophomore effort, as being too mid tempo, but I went back and listened to that again today and damn, I might have been a little hard on the lads on that one. It’s a solid album. I’ve been on these guys’ bandwagon since Black Smoke Rising and the “double-EP” From The Fires and am not about to stop now.

In the three years they’ve been gone, I know guitarist Jake formed a side-project band Mirador with Ida Mae lead guitarist/vocalist Chris Turpin, and bassist Sam has done some producing. From what I’ve heard from these new tracks they sound refreshed and ready to go.

The first new track is “Play Your Games” and I dig this choppy acoustic riff. While GVF don’t seem to be interested in doing anything like say, “Highway Tune” or “Safari Song,” songs that really RAWK, there is an intensity Josh’s vocal brings to their music that make you think, “Rock on, lads.”

As I said, “Play Your Game” starts off with a choppy acoustic riff, giving me “Over The Hills And Far Away” vibes. The drums on this song are fabulous. “Buy me another round and then I’ve gotta go…” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve said those words. When Josh’s voice takes off it lifts the roof off the joint.

There are also some nice keyboards (organ) – from Sam – and we even get a mini drum solo (very mini). Something I noticed when I went back to their last two records, most of their songs lead to a blistering guitar solo, no matter if they’re rocking or it’s a ballad. We don’t get that here, but it’s still a great tune. Here’s a sample:

The next new track is a piano driven ballad, “Saw You Stand.” Again I assume it’s Sam on the keyboard. This is something new from GVF, a piano ballad. I like they’re stretching their sound a bit. Josh’s vocal, while relatively restrained on the verses explodes on the choruses.

“I hope you’ll always know, that life with you made me whole,” is a pretty nice lyric. I might use that on the Rock Chick later…but I digress. That “all roads lead to the guitar solo” thing I said, earlier, that is true of this song. Jake’s guitar solo is really melodic and powerful. I can feel it, man… but that may be the whiskey talking. Here’s a sample:

A lot of folks are little down on GVF because they haven’t unleashed the kraken like on those early tracks on their debut EP. They were always derided back then as being Zeppelin rip-offs. I’ve always said, give them time and they’ll develop their own sound and each album makes me think they’re on that journey.

I really like what I’ve heard so far and look forward to hearing Palace For The People this fall. What a great year for music!

Cheers and have a great weekend!