Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka has opened up about the band’s intentional “fake” breakup in an interview on Lipss Service. Kiszka and drummer Danny Wagner talked about the band’s viral social media posts. The posts led fans to think the group had split. The truth was the opposite. The band returned from its hiatus with a new album and tour plans.
The interviewer asked about the band’s cryptic posts during its time away. The question was: “You know, in a way when you go away for a little bit, there’s that mystique, right? And the you were posting cryptic things. I think people thought maybe you broke up for a minute.”
Kiszka said the band learned about the rumors online.
“Yeah. No, it was interesting because we thought, oh, apparently we’re broken up,” Kiszka said. “We learned that from the internet or something, you know.”
He then explained that the posts were partly deliberate.
“Well, it was kind of like, yeah, I obviously somewhat intentional, you know, the wording and some of the nuance of how we posted,” Kiszka said. “It was like, yeah, wouldn’t it be interesting if everybody just thought we broke up for a moment?”
Wagner said the band used its time off to make a new record. He also said a return needs to get attention.
“Well, when you take a year and a half off, you need something to do, right? All right,” Wagner said. “So, we made an album which was, you know, great. It’s wonderful. But also, when you come back to life, you have to make a splash.”
That splash now has a clear shape. The band’s fourth studio album, Palace For The People, arrives October 9, 2026. It is the group’s first full-length project since 2023’s Starcatcher. It also ends a long stretch without new music.
The band recorded the album in Tennessee in the spring of 2026. Greta Van Fleet co-produced it with Mike Elizondo, whose credits include work with Turnstile and Fiona Apple. The record has 13 songs.
The rollout began in early August with the ballad “Saw You Stand.” The band released it through Republic Records alongside the album announcement. The group played the single for a sold-out crowd at Chicago’s Metro on July 31. On September 21, the band performed it on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”. A newer track, “Tear It Down,” followed ahead of the album’s release.
The break also appears to have helped the band’s relationships. Josh Kiszka said the time away from touring brought the group closer together.
“We love each other just as much as ever, if not more, because we’ve got to spend quality time together off of the road,” Josh Kiszka said.
