Garrett Wayne Smith

Garrett Wayne Smith^[1] (known as Rett Smith; born 1988)^[2] is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Smith competed internationally in alpine skiing in the 2000s, was a Junior Olympic medalist, participated in International Ski Federation races beginning in 2003 and competed in the Nor-Am Cup in 2004-2007.^[2] However, he was forced to retire from skiing after sustaining multiple injuries.^[3]

After his retirement from skiing Smith moved to Los Angeles and began focusing on songwriting, releasing a demo EP which drew attention. Despite never having performed in public before, he made his debut at the House of Blues performing his own works. A video of him performing his song "Warmest Winter" brought him to the attention of producer Joe Nicolo, who became his "career guru".^[4] Smith's first solo EP, Tularosa, produced by Nicolo, was released in 2015.^[5]

Smith moved to Nashville in 2015, where he recorded his second solo EP, Oscuro, which he produced himself.^[6][7] He formed a duo called SAENTS with session drummer Daniel Sousa, and they released an eponymous EP produced by Stephen Keech in 2017.^[6]

In 2020, Smith released Giving Up on Quitting, his first full‑band solo studio album and a notable shift toward minimalist, atmospheric Americana.^[8] Produced with Laura‑Mary Carter of the English alternative rock band Blood Red Shoes, the album was recorded in just eight days at 64 Sound in Los Angeles and features stripped‑down instrumentation and lyrics exploring heartbreak, addiction, and accountability.^[9] Critics praised its raw emotional tone and restrained sonic palette. No Depression described it as "self‑contained rock with just enough grit to make it roll,"^[9] American Songwriter named it "Best New Music" and highlighted the single "Better Day" for its confessional lyricism.^[10] Meanwhile, FLOOD Magazine premiered the track “Rattlesnakes,” calling it a "dark, melancholic track" that "digs into the gothic heart of Americana," and quoted Smith admitting, "In 'Rattlesnakes,' this seems to be proven more than just about any other song on the record."^[11] Its moody textures and narrative focus helped establish Smith’s signature aesthetic and laid the foundation for the darker, more experimental direction of his subsequent records.

In October 2021, Smith released his sophomore full-band studio album What the Walls Cannot See, recorded primarily solo during the COVID‑19 lockdown and co-produced by Jason Burt and mixed by Tom Soares.^[12][13] The album blends brooding, minimalist Americana textures with intensely lyrical storytelling. The Austin Chronicle described it as a "dark and brooding platter that sounds like Nick Cave raised on Texas songwriters,"^[14] while Holler noted that "some of the melancholy content inherent in this short (24‑minute) album…is the result of recording it basically solo during the lockdown."^[13] KUTX previewed the single "Pick Up the Pieces" as a "brooding, sweet‑but‑sinister" track,^[12] and Smith himself commented, "Sometimes I feel the heaviest music is the rawest, stripped back emotionally and sonically," reflecting his intent to bring lyrics to the forefront.^[14] The album’s seven-song, 23-minute runtime spotlighted its emotional immediacy and helped solidify Smith’s reputation for stark, psychologically attuned Americana music.

In 2022, Smith released the EP Americana Drugs, a four-song collection that blended heavier rock elements with his brooding, confessional lyricism.^[15] The EP features a collaboration with Jessica Lea Mayfield on the track “I’ll Still Stay,” following their earlier work together on Smith's 2021 single “The Hook.”^[16] Critics highlighted tracks like “Brighton Bar” and “Better Run” for their gritty storytelling and noir-inspired atmosphere, while the closer “Billy Wayne Reed” pointed to Smith’s growing interest in psychedelic textures.^[15] The Austin Chronicle praised the EP as “12 minutes of raw, cathartic release.”^{[15] [17]}

In June 2023, Smith released A Nightly Consequence, a rock-driven album that expands on his transition from Americana into darker, electric territory.^[18] Produced and recorded entirely by Smith himself, the album features layered guitars and atmospheric arrangements. The song “Crawling,” a duet with Lydia Loveless, blends raw vocal interplay with tense, guitar-heavy instrumentation.^[19]

Smith released A Weighted Remorse on September 13, 2024, continuing his exploration of darker sonic territories with a heavier emphasis on shoegaze and post-Americana textures. The album marked a stylistic evolution, incorporating what KUTX described as "subterranean six-string tone and massive drums," with the result being "heavy as hell, almost bordering on sludge."^[20]

Billboard praised Smith for indulging "his love for high-octane guitar riffs" and mining "his own hardships for lyrical inspiration," tying his approach to the legacy of iconic Texas songwriters.^[21] The album’s lead singles, including "Sunsets" and "Stop Signs," were highlighted by KUTX as emblematic of Smith’s genre-defying style, blending "shoegaze-icana" with lyrical introspection and sonic weight.^[22]

Smith describes his musical style: "my heart lays musically with the blues and country heroes from the 40s, 50s and 60s but I've never wanted to imitate their sound... I'm into hiding some darker lyrics in with a heavy groove".^[23] His influences also include Leonard Cohen.^[3]

Smith's musical oeuvre blends multiple genres.^[24] His early recordings were described as "blues-riffed", contrasting with the rock sound of SAENTS.^[14] More recent works have focused more on lyrical quality, with "intense and dark vocals".^[25] American Songwriter described Smith's music as "blues-influenced alternative rock".^[5]

An article in the New Jersey Stage said of Tularosa: "Rett plays emotionally articulate guitar, tempering technique to fit a song's soulful spirit, uncorking his fiery chops in key moments".^[4] Writing for the Texas Monthly, Bryan Rolli called Oscuro "four barn-burning rockers featuring slide guitar licks that would make Billy Gibbons crack a smile".^[7]

Billboard described SAENTS as ranging from an "apocalyptic, organ-driven crawl" ("Lay Me Down") to a "furious, proto-punk wallop" ("Hallelujah and Do-Si-Do").^[6] Jonathan Frahm in No Depression wrote that "There isn't a minute out of the few that we have that feels wasted... Rather, this is self-contained rock with just enough grit to make it roll".^[26] Pennylynn Webb of the Palestine Herald-Press, in reviewing Giving Up on Quitting, was "struck hard by a poetic sound that conjured a kaleidoscope of inspirational, soul-searching questions and profound truths".^[3] Katherine Yeske Taylor of American Songwriter felt "Better Day" "shows Rett's gentler, more vulnerable side... [and] has a certain confessional intimacy".^[5]

Doug Freeman of the Austin Chronicle described What the Walls Cannot See as "dark and brooding platter that sounds like Nick Cave raised on Texas songwriters".^[14] Hal Horowitz in Holler concluded that "Only the frustratingly brief length of the program ... prevents this from showcasing the full powers of a relatively new talent; one who has his finger on the pulse of the darkest edge of Americana and his own psyche".^[27]

• Tularosa (2015), Sony RED
• Oscuro (2016), Sony RED
• SAENTS (with SAENTS, 2017), Sony RED
• Giving Up on Quitting (2020), Imperial Records / Republic Records
• Live...Alone (2020), Imperial Records / Republic Records
• What the Walls Cannot See (2021), Imperial Records / Republic Records
• Americana Drugs (2022), Imperial Records / Republic Records
• A Nightly Consequence (2023), Imperial Records / Republic Records
• A Weighted Remorse (2024), Imperial Records / Republic Records

• Jessica Lea Mayfield
• Lydia Loveless
• Hudson Mohawke

• Official website
• Rett Smith at AllMusic