Go backstage with The Music and receive FREE:

  • Exclusive members-only editorial, charts
  • Our subscriber-only newsletter
  • Members only competitions to win tickets, experiences and more
  • Access to our street press archives
  • First access to our exclusive limited edition vinyl variants

Thank you for being a part of our community! Enter your email address as verification and you'll be taken backstage right away.

Please ensure that you provide a valid email address.

Album Review: Joel Rafidi - Phases

James d'Apice
StarStar

"It’s not easy to believe in someone who seems not to believe in himself"

We first met Joel Rafidi on the impossibly short-lived TV program, The Shire. Unsurprisingly, he’s emerged from that trainwreck with a new name and deafening silence on the experience. This reflects Rafidi’s general modus operandi. He lacks conviction. He’s bashful, almost apologetic, on the mic. Embarrassed by his Australian accent, he leans towards an American one. Perhaps fearful of a backlash, he leans only part way, his style drowning somewhere between Cronulla and Malibu. It’s not easy to believe in someone who seems not to believe in himself, making Phases a difficult release to get excited about.