Sisters Natalie and Meegan Closner brought their light indie-pop to Iowa City’s Englert Theatre on January 22nd. Joseph has just embarked on a lenghty tour to support their upcoming record “Closer to Happy” that will release on January 30th. They’ve released six of the twelve upcoming tracks form the record with “Bye and Bye”, “Looking Back”, “Closer to Me”, and “I Believe in Myself” as lead singles. Playing all six new songs with a collection of 12 more, it was a welcomed evening of positivity on a night of negative temperatures.
Starting in 2014 with their debut record “Native Dreamer Kin”, the Oregon trio quickly became favorites of the indie pop scene. All of the sisters, Natalie and twins Meegan and Allison all had musical backgrounds that helped throw them into this career. With a enjoyable sound that earned them an NPR Tiny Desk concert in 2016, they continued on a path leading them to open for bands like The Lumineers and The Shins. A procession of music came from them, dropping five albums in a nine year stretch. The writing seems to flow out of them, always producing new tunes throughout the changes of the band.
This new record includes a dozen songs written in the past two years. Becca Mancari of Bermuda Triangle joined vocals for “I Believe in Myself” which was released in June of 2025. Mancari has a connection to the band as she was the opener on Joseph’s 2024 “10 Years of Jospeh” tour. Moving past the decade of accomplishment, Allison decided to step back from the band. This was their first full length record since the departure and adjustments were made to accommodate the new sound. The setlist featured all six new released tunes as well as a few unreleased tracks. The crowd was close to the band as the two sisters and their drummer, April Lee, ripped through their set with a two song encore.
It was a sweet evening that felt comforting as the sisters sang their deeply personal stories. Warm and inviting, Natalie and Meegan provided a sneak peak to what feels like their most honest album yet. Joseph will continue their extensive “Closer to Happy” tour as it travels through the United States until April supporting the brand new record. You can get updates from Joseph here.
