Josh Joplin Group to Release First New Record in 12 Years 'GpYr,' Shares Single

Josh Joplin Group has announced his return to music with the new album GpYr (pronounced “gap year”), to be released on April 4 via NarrowMoat/Missing Piece Records.

After a self-imposed hiatus to focus on raising his daughter—who lends her talents as lead guitarist and vocalist on the track "Before The Light Takes Us"—Josh is back with his decades-long collective of musicians, the Josh Joplin Group, whose chemistry adds depth and nuance to his work. Their collaborative shorthand, honed over years of shared experiences, shines on GpYr. Along with the announcement, Joplin shares the lead single “Goodbye Berlin,” a cathartic track about Joplin’s admiration for the German capital and the aspirations that can be found within.

A few days before everyone came together in the studio, Joplin introduced “Goodbye Berlin” to his collaborator and co-producer Lorenzo Wolff, the Grammy-winner known for his work on Taylor Swift’s Midnights and Folklore. "This is a song that I wrote from that time." Joplin explains to Magnet Magazine. "It's old. My friend and I recorded it in a band that we invented where we could both be British and broody. We tried doing it a few different ways, slowing it down, speeding it up. Drums, then no drums. We kept listening to the original recording from the time it was written. Lorenzo and I considered recording it exactly like that.”

“At some point Lorenzo suggested when the band comes in, ‘let's just spring it on them and press record and see what happens.’ That's what we did. Berlin is one of those places I dreamed about as a young man, it was a destination from the beginning and when I left it, I had an out-of-body experience and I felt a force pushing me back from entering the jetway. I heard a voice telling me l was making a huge mistake leaving. But momentum, my visa status, and reasonable fear, wouldn't let me turn back. When the plane took off, and I looked down over the city, I knew I'd always question the decision to be so well-behaved.”

GpYr showcases the raw vitality of a live session with meticulous attention to texture and detail. Wolff’s production enhances Joplin’s vision, infusing the record with vibrant energy while allowing its emotional core to resonate. The result is a collection of songs that are deeply personal and universally relatable, driven by Joplin’s trademark pop hooks and lyrical depth.

“GpYr captures the confessional energy of someone ready to turn themselves in for being reckless, but is ultimately absolved by the lessons learned along the way,” Joplin reflects. “A gap year is like liminal space. It’s the transition between what was and what’s next—a moment of motion, unknowing, and discovery. It lingers forever, shaping us and if we let it, it can transform us.”

Joplin’s storytelling prowess has been a hallmark of his career since the release of Useful Music in 2001, which introduced the world to the hit “Camera One,” which became the first Independent release to reach #1 at AAA Radio. Produced by Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison, the song became a cultural touchstone, featured on Scrubs, and solidified Joplin’s reputation for making the deeply personal feel universal. His career highlights also include “Blue Skies Again,” which was covered by Jessica Lea Mayfield on her critically acclaimed Nonesuch debut, earning over a million downloads on iTunes. The Josh Joplin Group has shared stages with artists like Old 97’s, A Fine Frenzy, Travis, and Matthew Sweet, further cementing their legacy in the indie and alternative music scenes.

With GpYr, Joplin turns his gaze firmly toward the future. The album represents both a return to his roots and a leap forward. “After stepping away for so long, I wanted to create something meaningful to me—a chronicle of my life, with enough perspective I could give it a chorus,” he explains.  “GpYr is the time it took between then and this record.”

Photo credit: Allen Broyles

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