Joseph is an American folk band from Portland, Oregon made up of three sisters: Natalie Closner, and twins Allison Closner and Meegan Closner. Their first album, Native Dreamer Kin, was self-released in early 2014.[1] Their second album I'm Alone, No You're Not was produced by Mike Mogis and was released on August 26, 2016, by ATO Records.[1][2]
History
Founding and Native Dreamer Kin
Joseph was formed when Natalie Closner, who had been pursuing a solo singer-songwriter career, recruited her younger twin sisters Meegan and Allison to join her on vocals for a new project.[3] They chose their name as a tribute to the town of Joseph, Oregon and their grandfather Jo.[4] Originally performing under a different name, a label representative said the name did not match the gravitas of their songwriting; they had just been camping in Joseph, a regular activity for them, and decided on the name.[5] They self-released their debut album Native Dreamer Kin in 2014, and built a following playing intimate house shows as a trio accompanied by acoustic guitar and foot drum.[6]
I'm Alone, No You're Not
Joseph were signed to ATO Records in 2015, releasing an acoustic two-song digital ATO Sessions EP and accompanying video series.[7] In 2015, they recorded I'm Alone, No You're Not with producer Mike Mogis. The album was released on August 26, 2016.[4] It debuted at #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart and remained at the top of the chart for two weeks.[8] They released their first single, "White Flag", on May 24, 2016, with a premiere on NPR's Songs We Love.[1] "White Flag" reached No. 1 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart in October 2016,[9] and charted on Spotify's US Viral Top Ten days after its release.[10] In Fall 2016, Joseph launched an a cappella covers contest,[11] which included submissions from fans, amateur musicians, and college a cappella groups.[12]
They released a seven track EP, Stay Awake, on September 15, 2017.[22]
Good Luck, Kid
On July 9, 2019, the band announced on social media and their website their new album Good Luck, Kid would be released September 13, 2019. The first single, Fighter, was described on Twitter by Meegan as "a song looking you in the eye and asking you to come alive and fight.[23] It’s asking you to wake up and make a choice to have presence for what and who is in front of you." The title track, Good Luck Kid, was released as a single on August 13, 2019.
The Sun
On January 25, 2023, the band announced their new album The Sun would be released April 28, 2023. The first single, titled Nervous System, was released alongside the announcement.[24] This was followed by the title track, The Sun, as a single on March 17, 2023, and then a third single, Fireworks, on April 25, 2023.[25]
Starting Over At The End and Allison's departure
On August 2, 2024, the band announced that Allison would be stepping away from the band "for the foreseeable future" after completing their then-current tour, and that a new album had already been in the works by the two remaining sisters.[26] Five days later the band released Starting Over At The End, their first song as a duo.[27]
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