Joseph - The Sun (LP) - Cloudy Orange Vinyl Vinyl

Joseph’s The Sun lands like a deep breath after a long run. The Portland trio of sisters Natalie Closner Schepman and twins Allison and Meegan Closner have always traded in pin-sharp harmonies and plainspoken emotion, but this 2023 ATO Records release feels like the three of them standing a little taller, shoulders back, eyes on the horizon. It is a set about trusting yourself again and letting warmth back in, and the music leans into that glow without losing the bite that made “White Flag” a sing-along for anyone who’s ever had to steel themselves.

The title track is the banner they raise. “The Sun” moves with crisp guitar, a sturdy backbeat, and those three voices locking together in a way that sounds casual until you try to sing along and realise how deft the arrangement is. There’s a touch more pulse in the rhythm section than on their early work, a shimmer of synth here and there, and a willingness to let the choruses bloom. It still reads as folk at heart, but the edges gleam. This is a record built for rooms where people actually listen, yet it does not shy away from a chorus that catches in your head on the tram ride home.

“Nervous System,” released as a single ahead of the album, is the other obvious anchor. It tackles the jitters and static that so many of us carry, but rather than wallow, it pivots toward agency. The percussion snaps, the vocal stacks rise and fold back on themselves, and there is that Joseph knack for turning a bracing thought into something you’ll hum while making coffee. You can hear them leaning into dynamic contrasts, letting verses sit almost bare before the harmonies burst in, bright as a choir and tight as a club band. The balance between polish and woodgrain texture is one of the album’s quiet triumphs.

What makes The Sun stick is how the sisters use blend as storytelling. They trade leads, then gather around the melody like family around a table. When Natalie takes a line low and measured, Allison and Meegan braid in light above it. When the twins push forward, Natalie’s tone grounds the whole thing. It is a conversation in harmony, and it means the record holds even when the arrangements stay small. A simple acoustic figure, a brushed snare, a flicker of keys, then that three-part lift that seems to widen the room.

Fans who came in on Good Luck, Kid will hear the throughline. The stakes are still personal, the writing still clear-eyed. But the tone is warmer, less stormy. You can tell they spent time thinking about how these songs would land live, because many of them seem designed to meet a crowd halfway. There are moments that invite handclaps, others that linger in a hush. The production honours that range. Nothing is brittle or showy. Guitars have air around them, the low end does its work without crowding the frame, and the vocals sit right where Joseph’s music lives, up close and companionable.

If you collect Joseph vinyl, this one earns a spot on the shelf. The way they layer voices and let percussion pop gives the grooves plenty to chew on, and the quieter tracks benefit from the space of a turntable spin. The Sun vinyl has been a steady recommendation at my local, the kind of album you put on for someone who says they miss harmonies you can feel in your chest. If you’re in a Melbourne record store on a slow Saturday, you might hear it rolling out over the speakers and see a stranger nod in time. And if you’re not near a shop, it’s easy to buy Joseph records online through the usual indies who take care packing and shipping.

Joseph have carved out a lane that dodges cynicism. They write songs that speak plainly, then sing them with an intimacy that feels earned, not engineered. The Sun does not reinvent them, it refines them. It is the sound of three artists who know what they do well, pushing into brighter colours and letting confidence do the quiet work in the background. For anyone who loves tight folk-pop harmonies and wants a record that grows with you from morning light to late-night reflection, this is the one. And for those of us forever hunting great Joseph albums on vinyl, it is gratifying to see a band this consistent keep raising the bar, one luminous chorus at a time. If you’re browsing for vinyl records Australia wide, keep an eye out for this; it is a front-to-back play, and it rewards the faithful flip.