Just two weeks after releasing EP 2, Los Angeles-based artist and producer Rett Smith returns today with That’s What the Money Is For, a new single under his electronic alias Tin Lung. It is increasingly clear 2026 is becoming a defining year for Smith, who has embraced a new musical identity while maintaining a release schedule that leaves little time to process one project before the next arrives.
When we last wrote about Tin Lung, just over a month ago, Smith was introducing us to a world that had been taking shape behind the scenes for years. Having built much of his career around guitars and songwriting, he was now exploring electronic music more openly, drawing inspiration from future garage and IDM. Two EPs later, his commitment to this new direction seems stronger than ever.
But there’s more to That’s What the Money Is For than another addition to his growing catalogue. The title points towards a subject that Smith feels particularly strongly about: the increasing commercialisation of music and the pressure to create something marketable before considering its artistic value. “Most music right now sounds the same, and it’s made to be sold before it’s made to be felt. EP 3 is the opposite. Every sound was shaped by hand, on machines that make you commit. That’s where the human part lives, and to me, it’s the entire point,” he explains.
That commitment is reflected in his production process. Working at his Tularosa Sound studio in Los Angeles, Smith creates everything using physical hardware, without software instruments or AI. It's an approach he has maintained throughout Tin Lung's releases, with long-time collaborator Stefan Brown handling mastering at Abbey Road Studios. The new single offers a first glimpse of EP 3, arriving on December 4 via Lavoir Records / AWAL, completing a trilogy of EPs released in just twelve weeks.
