An interview with she's green
The Minneapolis band discuss their new EP, the importance of stylizing a band name, why they compare their music to moss, and if they lean more dream pop or shoegaze.
In Simon Reynolds’ new book Still In A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers and the Reinvention of Rock, 1984–1994, the music journalist and historian has a fascinating chapter on ethereal music, continuing a thought he introduced in a 1992 article for SPIN titled “Ethereal Girls.” In it, Reynolds focuses on the achievements of Cocteau Twins, most interestingly, touching on the fragile beauty and uniqueness of singer Elizabeth Fraser and her “voice of God.” I highly recommend giving it a read.
The chapter got me thinking about the countless singers at the moment trying to achieve “ethereality.” Shoegaze and dream pop have had their share over the years, but right now it seems to be a thing in indie music. Few are doing it as well as Zofia Smith of she’s green though. Her voice isn’t otherworldly and alien like Fraser or say Julee Cruise (few have been); instead it is serene and pretty, with plenty of command to elevate her band’s celestial music. And it is without a doubt worthy of ethereal status.
she’s green are quite the talk of the scene right now. The Minneapolis band are being touted by just about everyone as the next big thing in shoegaze and dream pop. And I get it: they have an alluring and accessible sound that evenly dips into both of those genres. But while most of their contemporaries seem to stay in one lane, she’s green are flawlessly expanding their scope and exploring new areas as musicians with each release.
Formed in 2022 by University of Minnesota roommates Smith and guitarist Liam Armstrong, she’s green - rounded out by Raines Lucas, Kevin Seebeck, and Teddy Nordvold - have been earning their hype. The band haven’t really left the road since launching their first EP, 2023’s excellent wisteria, playing with every band from Glixen and Narrow Head to Hotline TNT and Softcult. Recently they’ve been supporting Turnover, just after taking part in the shoegaze fest Slide Away, alongside Hum, Nothing, Swirlies, Warmachine and Chapterhouse, who they toured North America with back in the spring.
Their new EP, swallowtail, builds on their first two releases - wisteria and last year’s chrysalis - by beefing up the melodies and offering a more complete taste of their music’s divergency. These are their strongest songs yet, bolstered by the proficiency of studio wiz Sonny DiPerri (julie, DIIV), who previously mixed the chrysalis EP.
The sequencing for swallowtail is grouped perfectly. Lead tracks “locket” and “dear ivy” both share a hypnotic, Souvlaki-ish shimmer to them. They switch course with the acoustic “empty house” and the reverb-doused “paper thin,” intimate offerings that sound like lost songs from The Sundays (I’d say Smith’s vocals remind me of Harriet Wheeler more than anyone).
The remaining three tracks - “mettle,” “keeper,” and “close your eyes” - showcase the power of she’s green in full-on shoegaze mode, flexing their quiet-to-loud muscle and their ability to balance delicate builds with devastating climaxes.
At seven tracks, the running time prevents swallowtail from being a full-length, but she’s green have combined it with chrysalis (which only came out on CD) as a 12-track compilation for the physical release. Once you hear it in full, it’s easy to understand why there are such huge expectations for this band.
she’s green recently toured with Chapterhouse, which I caught in Toronto two months ago. I spoke to Stephen Patman of the band and he said she’s green were one of a few new bands that he really wanted on the tour. What did it mean to be handpicked for their North American tour?
Zofia Smith: It was such an honour to be on a bill, they’re a band we dreamed of just seeing live, let alone getting to open for them. There’s something really special about opening for bands that rarely tour; the fans at the shows know how special it is when Chapterhouse hasn’t been to the U.S. in a decade and it might be a long time before they return to that particular city. I think it makes everyone more present and also brings out a lot of people who don’t go to shows as often.
I’m always fascinated by band names, spelling, pronunciation, etc. I mostly see the band’s name written in all lowercase, but not all the time. Can you confirm the proper way of spelling she’s green?
It’s officialized “she’s green” in full lowercase. People switch it up all the time and it’s not a big deal, but we do think it looks prettier when stylized this way. Thanks for asking!
Were there any other names you considered for the band?
A couple were tried out. moondew was a contender for a little while early on.
she’s green are regularly described as both shoegaze and dream pop. Is there one of the two genres that better represents your music?
We maybe lean a little more into dream pop, but the line between the two can be very blurry. I think the distinction is that we go for a brighter, more glassy sound than some shoegaze bands that have that Deftones sound. On the other hand we love to get really heavy at times, and people might classify that as more akin to shoegaze. Who knows!
I like that you have coined a specific term for your sound: “moss music.” You’re doing the journalist’s work! Where did the idea for it come from?
Honestly, that term was originally just a silly phrase for a social media bio. We just thought it sounded cute, but it’s really stuck since then. Moss is fascinating in how hardy and widespread it is, it can grow in almost every type of terrestrial habitat on earth. We thought it was cool how it looks like a miniature forest realm when magnified, so maybe there’s something there about finding beauty in small details, even in the most unexpected places.
How would you say swallowtail differs from the previous EPs?
swallowtail was the first project we set out to record in one sitting at a studio. Previously, we’ve self-recorded or recorded with friends over multiple sessions in different locations (usually in home setups), putting everything together at the final mixing stage. Having time booked at a studio made us focus on polishing a group of songs that would complement each other well as one body of work, it brought a lot of intention to the songwriting and rehearsal processes. That’s not to say any one recording method is better or worse, but this approach was a very refreshing and fun undertaking for us.
Sonny DiPerri has produced some of my favourite records over the past few years, by the likes of Nothing, Launder, julie, and Narrow Head. Where did the idea come from to work with him?
Teddy Nordvold: We first were introduced to Sonny by our friends in Glixen, after he had produced some amazing songs for them - he did the Quiet Pleasures EP, which we joined the tour for early last year. Not long after we first met him we quickly realized he’s had a hand in making so much music that we already loved. He was great at establishing a fun and relaxed rapport, while his experience kept us focused and efficient. We moved into his home studio to do vocals. Zofia mentioned that she loved having the door open slightly during takes. Getting fresh air and a light breeze into the space helped to get in the zone for vocals.
Was there anything in particular that he brought to the studio that you were looking for help with?
Zofia Smith: Sonny is such a pro and a really fun dude to hang out with. People underrate how important it is to have a comfortable environment in the studio. He made us feel really at home for the whole process. Being comfortable around him made us more capable of expressing and honing in our sonic ideas.
You’ve released three EPs so far. What is it about that format that you like? Will there be a full-length at some point?
We’ve been giving ourselves time to experiment and learn about different recording processes. Working on three EPs of different lengths, with different people, and in different environments taught us a lot. We hope that sets us up well to deliver the best debut that we can.