The sibling trio known as Joseph didnโt become one of Portlandโs biggest bands by writing songs that were dull and unambitious.
Indeed, when the Closner sisters were starting outโplaying house shows and small clubs around the region in the mid-2010sโthey were cognizant of the transformative role that dynamics can play in a simple song.
โEven when itโs just the three of us and a guitar,โ says Natalie Closner, who has married and now goes by Natalie Schepman, โwe rely on the soft moments and the loud moments to create the tension and the thrill of it.โ
They do that very well. Schepman and her younger twin sisters Allison and Meegan Closner seemed to arrive fully formed with their 2014 album Native Dreamer Kin, which showcased their likeable blend of folk rock, pop instinct, and vocal harmonies honed over a lifetime together. That record (and their joyous live shows) landed them a deal with ATO Records, which released Joseph’s 2016 follow-up, Iโm Alone, No Youโre Not. That album, led by a hand-clappy hit single called “White Flag,”ย found the sisters transitioning seamlessly into a punchier, more produced sound.
But it wasn’t until they hit the road in support of Iโm Alone that Joseph truly experienced and understood the possibilities of playing with a full band.
โItโs such a powerful feeling to have that much literal sonic volume behind you and [realizing] the things you can accomplish. It changed our writing,โ Schepman says. โBecause we had this experience of being in a room with a band, we realized that we could have so much broader of a palette. It was like, โWow, we want to make an album thatโs just full-blast.โโ
For pure singer/songwriter types, making a โfull-blastโ record means getting the right producer, and Joseph did exactly that when they found Christian โLeggyโ Langdon, best known for his work with art-pop artist Meg Myers. Langdon is โexplosively creative,โ says Meegan, and after a handful of conversations about the direction for Joseph LP number threeโnow called Good Luck, Kid and scheduled for release on September 13โhe went to work giving the sistersโ songs a shiny new coat of paint.
โWeโd give him a demo that would just be a guitar and our voices, and then weโd come into the studio and he would have basically recorded a whole track on his own and heโd say, โWhat do you think about this?โโ Meegan says. โAnd he nailed it almost every single time on the first try. He understood us so well.โ
Without question, Good Luck, Kid is a significant stylistic shift for Joseph. The trioโs exquisite vocals are still the centerpiece of its songs, but the elements around them have grown darker, sleeker, and bolder. Lead single โFighterโ rides a gurgling electronic bass line and thunderous beats straight into one of the best hooks of 2019. The electro-acoustic vibe of โNYEโ glitters and sighs like its namesake holiday. โGreen Eyesโ starts off like a cool retro-soul number before blossoming into a buzzy chorus. And the Spandex-tight title track barrels forward at a post-punk pace, as the sisters sing about that daunting phase of life where you suddenly realize youโre an adult now, youโre in charge of your life, and the days of someone else taking care of you are in the rearview mirror:
โThey handed you the keys/The driverโs seat is yours now/Thereโs nothing left to lean on/Youโre the queen from here on out/No time for doubt/Good luck, kid.โ
The track inspired the albumโs name for a reason. The women of Joseph didnโt realize it at the time, but when they were writing Good Luck, Kid, they were writing a song cycle of sorts about adulthood and responsibility, fear and excitement, eye-opening epiphanies and trying to live in a world that feels like a harder place to live every day. For Natalie, the last few years have changed a lot about who she is, what she believes and how sheโll face the future.
โI feel like a lot of my certainty was very youthful… and the more I learn about life, about the world, about everything, itโs like entering a new room of the library,โ she says. โItโs like, โI didnโt even know this room was here, and now I have all of these books to read.โ Thatโs how it feels.โ
Meegan puts it a little more directly: โTo me, this album is like, โCome on. Youโve got this. You have to have this.โโ
The good news for the sisters is that if theyโve got this, theyโve got it together. But that wasnโt always assured. Without going too deeply into the details, Natalie and Meegan acknowledge that Joseph came close to splitting up at some point in the past few years. But the same sibling relationship that no doubt strains life on the road also brought them back together, ready to fight another day.
This weekend, that fight comes to the Roseland for two nights of album-release celebration with a hometown crowd. Portland has been supportive of Joseph for years, from small clubs to Pickathon to a sold-out Crystal Ballroom in 2017.
โThat was like, โOh my god.โ That was such a moment of triumph, and this weekend will be, too,โ says Natalie. โPortland has always given us such incredible support, and thatโs an amazing feeling.โ