Rob Tirea
Rob Tirea is an electronic artist whose soaring vocals and attention to detail elevate him from the current wave of emerging DJs and EDM producers.
A self-confessed overthinker, the OC (Orange County), California native noticeably puts an enormous effort into crafting unique soundscapes identifiable by his signature singing voice. It’s an approach that has seen Rob move on from hugely popular collaborations with the likes of Revelries, Andrew Bayer, and Lipless to focus on more personal tracks that better reflect his intentions as an artist.
Rob’s latest release, ‘There You Are’ puts his voice at the heart of the production, with new EP Universal Jest (out in July) continuing in the same vein. The carefully choreographed inclusion of analogue (as opposed to digitally-sampled) strings and other instruments highlights the type of artist Rob Tirea is: meticulous, dedicated, and one whose vision extends far beyond the limited scope of soundwaves on a monitor.
We spoke to Rob Tirea about his new EP, how the pandemic reshaped his musical career and, of course, his FAULTs…
FAULT: How would you describe your sound, and your approach to music production?
Rob Tirea: It’s moody, cinematic, sometimes a bit weird—but in a way that makes sense if you’re lying awake at 2am. I like mixing electronic stuff with real instruments, vocals that feel a bit ghostly, and textures that aren’t too polished. If it makes me feel something, it stays. If it doesn’t… it goes in the “maybe later” folder with 400 other tracks I’ll never finish.
‘There You Are’ follows ‘Give Me Love, Give Me Light’ as the second single release from your forthcoming EP, Universal Jest. What’s changed between the release of 2024’s Sterile Avenue and now? Or does the new EP build on the same ideas as Sterile Avenue?
Sterile Avenue was me figuring things out—emotionally and musically. Universal Jest feels like I’ve stopped trying to impress anyone and just started saying what I actually want to say. It’s more raw, more honest. Still cinematic, still moody, but there’s a pulse running through it now.
One significant addition for this release is your collaboration with a string duet (Nicole Garcia and Michelle Rearick from Fine Line Music Service) for a live performance video. What inspired you to create that?
Well, nothing says emotional devastation like strings. Nicole and Michelle came in and made the whole track sound like it should be played over a slow-motion breakup in a black-and-white indie film. It felt real. Nothing too flashy—just pure, beautiful, classy sadness. Which is really the mood I’m aiming for in most areas of life, if I’m honest.
There seems to be a growing trend amongst electronic artists to add a live performance component to their work. Do you think EDM fans have grown to expect something beyond the traditional ‘head down, fist pump’ behind-the-decks DJ approach?
It really depends on which EDM fans you ask. For me it came naturally because of the singing and I wanted to give a unique perspective on dance music. Especially coming from an indie-alternative background. I wanted to challenge myself a bit more on stage and the live aspect allowed me to have more of a distinct sound. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to do DJ sets as well. In terms of fans moving away from the traditional behind-the-decks DJ approach, I’d say John Summit and Dom Dolla are doing alright…! [laughs] As long as you have the right vibe going people, will show up whether it’s a DJ set or a hybrid live show.
How much of an impact do you think the pandemic had on your artistic career? Looking back at your previous releases, I see you dropped ‘Blue’ in collaboration with Revelries in 2019. That quickly racked up the streams and remains one of your most listened-to tracks on Spotify. You followed it up with several more singles, and it looked like you were already going from strength to strength while you were still cutting your teeth in the music industry. Then, of course, the pandemic happened, and (understandably) everything seemed to slow down a little: less regular releases, fewer collabs, etc… Is that a fair assessment?
Yeah, I mean ‘Blue’ I don’t even really play during shows any more. Now I sing on all my tunes, so I feel that track is not the best reflection of the artist I want to be. But then again, it was 6 years ago. We all grow. Not up, but perhaps as an artist. But yeah, that’s exactly what happened. I had a bit of steam going, then the world hit pause and I was stuck in my place talking to plants and overthinking snares. But in the long run, it helped. Gave me time to slow down, stop trying to chase playlists, and start making stuff that felt more like me.
Going forward, who would you most like to collaborate with and why?
James Blake, because he sounds like he records all his vocals lying on the floor in emotional agony, and I respect that.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
I used to work in advertising selling nonsense to strangers before I switched to music full time, so probably that.
Are you planning a tour to promote Universal Jest? When can we next expect to see a live show?
No live shows planned at the moment, but you never know!
What is your FAULT?
According to my mother and anyone in my dating life, everything. But yeah, probably overthinking. I could win gold at the overthinking Olympics. I’ll write a tune I love, then spend six weeks wondering if the hi-hat sounds too smug. But also—probably caring too much. Which, in this business, isn’t the worst fault to have… unless you want to sleep.