Los Angeles-based songwriter Rett Smith returns with Let You Fall, a new single that offers the first glimpse of his forthcoming album. The track introduces the next chapter of his work with the same combination that has defined much of his catalogue: guitar-driven rock arrangements paired with direct, emotionally exposed storytelling.
Written, produced and recorded at his analogue-focused studio Tularosa Sound in Los Angeles, Let You Fall centres on a difficult realisation: the moment when you understand that you can’t carry someone else’s struggles for them. As Smith explains, “Let You Fall is the acceptance that you can’t save anyone from themselves and the freedom that comes with putting that weight down. That’s where my records live.”
The song balances weight and restraint, letting distorted guitars push against a vocal performance that stays close and vulnerable. Smith once again takes on the role of producer, continuing the independent approach that has shaped much of his career. Bassist Michael Rinne and drummer Chris Barber provide the rhythmic backbone, while mastering engineer Stefan Brown gives the final polish to a recording that still preserves the immediacy of analogue production.
Smith’s route into music didn’t begin on stage. Born in West Texas and raised between New Mexico, Innsbruck and Colorado, he first pursued a career as an alpine ski racer, competing internationally and even earning a Junior Olympic medal before injuries forced him to step away from the sport. Music slowly took its place and, after performing his original songs at the House of Blues, a video of Warmest Winter caught the attention of nine-time Grammy-winning producer Joe Nicolo, who would go on to produce Smith’s debut EP, Tularosa.
From there, his catalogue steadily expanded including Oscuro, Giving Up on Quitting, What the Walls Cannot See and A Physical Persistence, among others, shaping a body of work that moves between heavy guitar-driven rock and stark, narrative songwriting. Much of it is created at Tularosa Sound in Los Angeles, the analogue studio where Smith writes, records and engineers his own material. Let You Fall opens the door to the next chapter, though we’ll have to wait a little longer to hear the full story of the album behind it.