Nicholas Joseph Shares ‘Living’, First Taste of Debut Album ‘Sailing’
Kirikiriroa-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Joseph returns with Living, the first single from his forthcoming debut album Sailing, out September 18 via Pōneke collective Sonorous Circle.
A blast of crunchy drums, searing guitar and lyrics declaring ‘I am living one day at a time’, Living sets the tone for an album that marks a sharp turn from the beat-driven, keyboard-based songwriting of Joseph’s 2024 EP. Where that record was carefully constructed, Sailing was recorded live over a feverish three-day period at Bagnall Hill Studio in Te Pahu, electric guitar in hand, with Arden Tanner-Dempsey on drums and producer De Stevens on bass.
“De and I talked a lot about how important production is to the kind of guitar music we like,” Joseph says. “Getting a lo-fi, crunchy sound as opposed to a ‘well-produced’ big stadium sounding album was super key. Rather than spending too much time trying to capture the perfect take, we favoured capturing the rawness of our sound.”
It’s a considerable shift for an artist who spent years drawn to electronic and hip hop production, including through Deer Park, his “no guitars allowed” project with cousin Shannon Walsh that landed a Laneway Festival slot in 2015. “I half joked that this album would be my version of a ‘rock record’,” Joseph says, “after many years of making music inspired more by electronic and hip hop music.”
Before Deer Park, Joseph cut his teeth playing aggressive post-punk in Auckland trio Vacants, sharing stages with the likes of Die! Die! Die! and the Mint Chicks during what he now recognises as a formative era for the city’s music scene.
Joseph is also one half of Kirikiriroa duo Big Sigh with Rachel Hope Peary, whose debut EP Tether (Sunreturn) picked up coverage from Rolling Stone AU/NZ, alongside a run on the Aotearoa Hot Singles Chart. Where Tether sits in hushed, harmonium-laced folk territory, Sailing pulls in the opposite direction – raw, guitar-driven and considerably less restrained.
Sailing is out September 18 via Sonorous Circle. Living is out August 7, 2026.
Photo Credit: Ruth Friedlander
Cover Art Credit: Rachel Hope Peary
