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. 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.
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. They chose their name as a tribute to the town of Joseph, Oregon and their grandfather Jo. 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. 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.
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. In 2015, they recorded I'm Alone, No You're Not with producer Mike Mogis. The album was released on August 26, 2016. It debuted at #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart and remained at the top of the chart for two weeks. They released their first single, "White Flag", on May 24, 2016, with a premiere on NPR's Songs We Love. "White Flag" reached No. 1 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart in October 2016, and charted on Spotify's US Viral Top Ten days after its release. In Fall 2016, Joseph launched an a cappella covers contest, which included submissions from fans, amateur musicians, and college a cappella groups.
The band made their television debut performing "White Flag" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, followed by appearances on Later... with Jools Holland, Ellen, CONAN, CBS This Morning, and NBC's TODAY. Prior to the album's release, the band was named a Spotify Spotlight Artist and toured with James Bay. The band re-joined Bay as support on a sold-out arena tour in Fall 2016. Joseph has performed both as an acoustic trio and a full band at music festivals across the globe including Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival, Sasquatch Festival, Glastonbury, Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, Pilgrimage Music Festival and more.
They released a seven track EP, Stay Awake, on September 15, 2017.
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. 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. 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.
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. Five days later the band released Starting Over At The End, their first song as a duo.
Closer to Happy
Closer to Happy was released on January 30, 2026, through Nettwerk Music Group. It marked the band's first full-length release as a duo, following the 2024 departure of co-founder Allison Closner. The album was co-produced by Natalie and Meegan Closner alongside Luke Niccoli, and consists of twelve tracks exploring themes of heartbreak, loss, and self-reclamation. To support the album, the band embarked on the Closer to Happy Tour across the United States and Canada.
Discography Studio albums Title Album details Peak positions US USAlt. USFolk US Indie US Rock Native Dreamer Kin Released: March 12, 2014 Label: Self-released Formats: CD, digital download — — — — — I'm Alone, No You're Not Released: August 26, 2016 Label: ATO Records Formats: CD, digital download 104 8 3 9 9 Good Luck, Kid Released: September 13, 2019 Label: ATO Records Formats: CD, digital download — — 17 15 — The Sun Released: April 28, 2023 Label: ATO Records Formats: CD, digital download — — — — —Closer to Happy Released: January 30, 2026 Label: Nettwerk — — — — —
EPs Title Album details ATO Records Session Released: December 1, 2015 Label: ATO Records Formats: digital download Stay Awake Released: September 8, 2017 Label: ATO Records Formats: CD, digital download Trio Sessions Vol.1 Released: January 31, 2020 Label: ATO Records Formats: digital download
Singles As lead artist Title Year Peak chart positions Album USAAA USRockAir. MEX "White Flag" 2016 1 43 34I'm Alone, No You're Not "SOS (Overboard)" 13 — — "Planets" — — — "California Dreamin'" 2017 — — —rowspan="2" "Sister Winter" 2018 — — — "Fighter"2019 10 — —Good Luck, Kid "NYE" 29 — — "Sauce"2020 — — —rowspan="2" "NYE (Violents Remix)" — — —"Nervous System"2023 34 — —The Sun"The Sun" — — —"Fireworks" — — —"The Christmas Song" — — —rowspan="3" "Starting Over at the End"2024 — — —"Birds of a Feather" — — —"Bye and Bye"2025 — — —Closer to Happy"I Believe in Myself" — — —"Looking Back" — — —"Ready to Let You Down" — — —"Closer to Me" — — —"Blindspot" — — —"Morning Forest"2026 — — —
As featured artist Title Year Album "Still Life"2020Tourism "Cracks in the Ceiling"Black Hole Rainbow
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