Rett Smith

‘A Physical Persistence’ is Rett Smith at his rawest and most unapologetic. Written, produced, and mixed entirely by Smith, the album was created without any modern technological assistance and mixed completely alone and analog. The result is 11 songs of visceral, gut-punching sound: rock stripped to its core. Smith has already been compared to artists like Nick Cave and Jack White – with the raw energy of post-punk blended Americana — and this record pushes the boundaries of those comparisons, all filtered through Smith’s virtuoso guitar work and southern roots.

Tracks like “End on Top,” “Tell Me There’s a God,” and “Seaside Regret” are jagged with vulnerability and rage. There’s no polish here — just blood, bruises, and tape hiss. Flood Magazine calls Smith “a master of gothic Americana” while Billboard praises his “high-octane guitar riffs and introspective songwriting”. American Songwriter described his sound as “potent, brooding, and laced with noir romanticism” and the Austin Chronicle put it plainly: Smith “spills a dark and brooding platter that sounds like Nick Cave raised on Texas songwriters”.

Thematically, the album explores everything from toxic masculinity to the illusion of modern progress, religious abandonment, and the loneliness of self-awareness. But more than anything, A Physical Persistence is about presence. Showing up for your own damnation. Sitting still while the ghosts gnaw at your spine. Accepting the cost of your choices without begging for absolution.

This is not an album interested in “healing.” It’s an album interested in what happens when healing never comes.

This summer, Smith steps into a run of opening slots with major touring acts before launching his second consecutive headline European tour this fall. Like his previous 6 albums, ‘A Physical Persistence’ is 100% Rett Smith’s vision — no fear, no gloss, and most importantly, no interference.

Mastered by Stefan Brown at Abbey Road Studios, the record is living proof that raw rock continues to have something to say — and Rett Smith is screaming it back through the noise.

Arriving 10/10/2025