Stepping out on your own can be both liberating and terrifying—and for Joel, that tension sits at the heart of his latest project.
So the project is titled Fourth Avenue, and it’s a concept EP. Can you tell us about the idea behind it?
Yeah, it’s definitely more of a story. It’s about that last moment of being a teenager—being a youth—before everything changes. You graduate, you have that last schoolies party, all that kind of stuff, and then suddenly you’re off into the real world learning how to be an adult.
What made you want to take a conceptual approach this time around?
I wanted to try to do something different. Like I said, a lot of the scene I’m around—people are doing EPs, and they sound great. They’re awesome.
But I’ve always been a big fan of concept albums and projects that tell a full story. I really wanted to try one out myself, just to see how people respond to it and where it goes from there.
This time around, this is fully your project. How does it feel doing your own work now?
It’s different—very different. It’s a little scary as well, because it’s kind of all of me.
This is the first thing I’ve done where I’ve recorded it, mixed it, mastered it, done the artwork, shot the videos, and edited them too. All of it.
That’s a huge amount of responsibility to take on.
Yeah, for sure. Usually in a band setting, I’ve got the other guys to lean on. We can workshop things, bounce ideas around, go through different drafts together.
When you’re by yourself, you kind of just feel like… I hope this is good. You run with it and hope for the best.
There’s something very honest about that leap of faith.
Exactly. It’s vulnerable, but it also feels real.
Love that energy. Thanks so much for chatting with I Don’t Blame You Media!
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