Portland trio Joseph triumphantly announced the release of their upcoming album by unveiling rapturous lead single “White Flag.”
With their elegant debut album, Native Dreamer Kin, back in 2014, Joseph drew comparisons to The Staves and First Aid Kit not only on account of their sumptuous vocal harmonies and thumping country melodies but also because they too are a band of sisters. While “Cloudline” has amassed over one million plays on Spotify, the independently released album sounded modest and, as a whole, went criminally undervalued – a feat set not to be repeated with sophomore offering I’m Alone, No You’re Not set for release on August 26th.
Released via Dave Matthews’ ATO Records, “White Flag” is the first sample of the record. As the repeatedly yelled mantra of “burn the white flag” would suggest, the song is a confident defiance of surrender. The conquering lyrics coupled with the foot-stomping soundtrack make for a rousing statement piece a world away from the shy, acoustic persona of the previous album that perfectly illustrates the journey they are on at the moment.
With numerous tour dates (see here) supporting James Bay and then Michael Kiwanuka on both sides of the Atlantic on top of several festival appearances this summer, Joseph are set for a whirlwind few months culminating in the release of what already is, for me, one of the most anticipated albums of the year.