Myrtle Blackwell

Myrtle Blackwell (born c. 1999) is an American musician, songwriter, and performance artist. She is best known as the lead vocalist and creative force behind the band Myrtle Monsters. Known for her emotionally raw performances, goth-punk aesthetic, and subversive lyrics, Blackwell has become a cult figure in the underground music scene and an icon of post-algorithm rebellion.

Early Life

Myrtle Blackwell was born in the American South, likely in a small industrial town that no longer appears on most maps. She was raised in a working-class household surrounded by evangelical fire, late-night static, and the smell of gasoline. Her mother was a gas station cashier who read Sylvia Plath on break; her father, a mechanic with a fondness for shortwave radio and unsolved mysteries.

As a child, Myrtle exhibited an early fascination with monsters — real and fictional. Her favorite toys were action figures from B-movie horror films and CIA black site documents she found online before she could drive. She was expelled from her high school for starting an underground zine titled *Stay Human*, which mixed poetry, punk lyrics, and conspiracy theories.

Musical Beginnings

Blackwell began writing songs in her early teens, teaching herself guitar on a beat-up pawnshop Fender and learning to record vocals on cassette decks. Her early work was influenced by a strange cocktail of artists and thinkers: Bikini Kill, Aphex Twin, Leonard Cohen, Rage Against the Machine, and George Carlin.

Before forming Myrtle Monsters, she played in several short-lived DIY punk projects with names like *The Throbbing Bureaucracy* and *Killjoy Communion*. Her live sets quickly gained a reputation for confrontational vulnerability and emotional whiplash — with crowds often unsure whether to mosh or cry.

Myrtle Monsters

In 2023, Blackwell officially formed Myrtle Monsters, recruiting bandmates who could match her intensity both musically and ideologically. The band became known for mixing gothic punk energy, synth-fueled breakdowns, and spoken-word screeds aimed at capitalism, digital culture, and existential dread.

Their first breakout track, Grimy American, went viral after a leaked video of Myrtle screaming into a beer can at a Fourth of July show made the rounds on protest TikTok. Since then, Myrtle Monsters has developed a fiercely loyal fanbase drawn to their uncompromising sound, politically charged lyrics, and uncanny ability to bottle societal decay into three-minute anthems.

Persona and Stage Presence

Myrtle’s stage persona is both electric and intimate — she stares down the crowd like she’s trying to decode a transmission hidden in their bones. Often barefoot, always layered in vintage band tees, mesh, and silver chains, she delivers vocals with a mix of screams, whispers, and poetic monologues.

Her performances often include visual projections, glitchy puppetry, and stage props ranging from shopping carts to security cameras. Every show feels like an art installation wrapped in a nervous breakdown.

Artistic Influences

Myrtle has cited the following as major influences:

Riot Grrrl zines and punk feminism
Declassified CIA documents
Sylvia Plath and Anne Carson
80s synth horror soundtracks
DIY culture and late-night AM radio
Early internet aesthetics, glitch art, and vaporwave

Visual Identity

Myrtle’s visual identity is consistent and iconic:

Pale-skinned with a heart-shaped face and almond-shaped ice-gray eyes. Jet-black shoulder-length hair with blunt bangs and a subtle undercut. Wears a silver nose hoop and a labret stud. Her signature style includes mesh tops, vintage tees, silver chains, combat boots, and oxblood lipstick.

This look has become emblematic of the band itself, with many fans emulating her style at live shows and in online spaces.

Personal Life

Little is known about Myrtle’s personal life, and she prefers it that way. In interviews, she often dodges biographical questions by quoting poetry or redirecting the focus to "the monsters we feed."

She has no known social media accounts of her own. All public-facing communications are filtered through the official Myrtle Monsters channels.

Legacy and Impact

Despite never signing with a major label, Myrtle Blackwell has become a symbol of a new wave of post-digital punk — rejecting corporate co-optation while using the tools of modern media to distribute resistance.

Her lyrics have been studied in academic circles and banned in certain school districts. Fan communities have formed decentralized “Monster Cells” that host listening parties, zine swaps, and subversive art shows in cities across North America and Europe.

Discography (Selected)

Grimy American
Freedom Isn’t Free
The Pissed Off Bartender
Tomatoes Are Trans
Glitter, Gunpowder & Guts (unreleased)

References