LA based performance artist and mastering engineer, Rebecca Huston, aka, Romantic Thriller says her music is inspired by film noir, the dictionary states of the film genre: it’s marked by a mood of fatalism and menace. 

The avant garde artist weaves an intricate tale on her new offering ‘I Cannot Tell’. Eerie synths and an enigmatic vocal line make up the haunting soundscape of the track, making for an otherworldly listening experience. 

The track tells the story of teenage love, jealousy and big personalities that perhaps cannot coexist. Huston details the characters in her story; Cynthia, Heather and Jesse. On a mystifying night in the woods behind a fairground, things change forever as Heather goes missing and Cynthia and Jessie’s worlds collide.

“Though no one knows a thing, really… about what happened that night in the woods, there are details Cynthia has never been able to bring herself to say. Would Jesse understand? Would Heather still be here if she revealed her secret? She cannot tell.” – Huston says on the track’s story.  

This track and others in her catalog have interwoven storylines and recurring characters.  She says she likes to think of them as tantalizing blurbs on the back of campy serial teen romance novels.

What do you think is the most important aspect of your life right now?

Spending time with my mom.  My father died last year, only a few months after both him and my mother moved to LA to be with me and my sister.  It was nice that the whole fam was there for him in his last few months but I wish I had more time with him in California.  Now my mom lives only a 20 minute drive from me so I try and spend as much time with her as possible.  We do a lot of shopping for plants and gardening.

What makes this song special in your opinion?

I get really wrapped up in the whole story of the song.  So I wrote a backstory on the characters to help with forming the lyrics.  This process is one of my favorite parts of the writing process.  I guess it’s special because it comes with a book blurb.  🙂

What inspired this track?

Twin Peaks for sure.

What are some of the core messages here?

Don’t do too many drugs and get lost in the woods?  OR definitely do that…but bring only friends that won’t betray you and summon an alien craft.

How do you think tik tok and social media are contributing to change an artist’s career?

I love tiktok.  I wish my cat would be famous!  I would say that tiktok is just the newest chapter in the modern diy music landscape.  Back in the old days you could only make a record if you had access to a million dollar recording studio and then came home recording equipment.  Music sites like Soundcloud fostered a place for artists to share what they made without a label and then social media made it more interactive with the audience.  I would say tiktok is just another way to bridge the gap between musicians and people who might like what they create.  And cats.

What excites you about your life?

Living in California!  After a long spell on the east coast I walk outside each day and a smile creeps in when I feel the 70 degree weather in January.  I am really trying to manifest a European tour this year as well.  I have never done a big tour as Romantic Thriller so I need to make that happen.

What are some of your core values as a human being?

Honesty.  And being close to family.  Leaving things better than you found them.  Not leaving a destructive path in your wake.

What are your projects for this year?

Right now I am so excited for a new collab track I am finishing up with Doll Muscle.  And planning that tour… hit me up booking agents!