JOSEPH

Named after a small town in northeast Oregon, Joseph is a honey-voiced triple-harmony folk-pop trio comprised of Portland-based sisters Natalie, Meegan, and Allison Closner. Melding an earthy indie folk style with the lush dynamics of pop and rock, the sisters' self-released 2014 debut helped them earn a contract with ATO Records who issued 2016's more expansive full-length, I'm Alone, No You're Not. After an EP and handful of singles, Joseph further engaged with their rock side on 2019's Good Luck, Kid.
Eldest sister Natalie Closner initially began touring as a solo singer/songwriter in the early 2010s before recruiting younger twin sisters Meegan and Allison to form a proper band. With their bewitching close harmonies and rustically modern sound, they bear a resemblance to similarly minded sister acts like Sweden's First Aid Kit and English trio the Staves. Their debut album, Native, Dreamer, Kin, was released in early 2014. Before long, they were approached by Dave Matthews' ATO Records, which signed Joseph in 2015. After co-writing some of their new material with Ethan Gruska (the Belle Brigade) in Los Angeles, they headed to Omaha to record their label debut with producer Mike Mogis (Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis). Released in the summer of 2016, I'm Alone, No You're Not expanded on the band's folk-inspired sound, introducing lush new pop textures. Stay Awake, a seven-track EP, followed in 2017 with the single "Sister Winter" b/w "Rest" arriving a year later. With their third album, 2019's Good Luck, Kid, Joseph further distanced themselves from the folk-oriented style of their earlier work and leaned more heavily into their pop and rock influences. ~ Timothy Monger