Zofia Smith on Shoegaze, she’s green, and Staying Fiercely DIY
As the magnetic and chameleonic vocalist of she’s green, Zofia Smith stands at the forefront of a band that has become one of the most vital voices in America’s thriving DIY scene.
Emerging from a circuit of basement shows, community-run venues, and fiercely independent collaborations, the group has cultivated a sound that bridges the intimacy of lo-fi dream pop with the kinetic urgency of post-punk and shoegaze. In the band, Smith’s presence serves as both anchor and accelerant — her vocals are able to soften into gossamer tones and ignite into unflinching, full-bodied catharsis.
Their latest EP, Chrysalis, finds the band in the midst of a sonic and thematic metamorphosis. On their first release in over two years, she’s green sharpens their signature haze-and-surge dynamic, pushing further into textural experimentation while preserving the raw immediacy that has made their live performances a defining cornerstone of the grassroots scene.
But perhaps the most striking element of Chrysalis is that Smith’s voice — equal parts velvet and wildfire — feels destined to echo far beyond the basements where it first found its footing, carrying with it both the restless spirit and the unbreakable heart of the DIY world.
KP: Your music feels so resonant, which makes me curious — what were your earliest connections to music? Was there a sound, a feeling, or a landscape from your upbringing that you feel still echoes in your work today?
ZS: My family would take a trip to Michigan every summer, and I’d help my dad with the playlists. The open fields and farmland on the drive especially touched me — there’s nothing like a Midwest summer at twilight. We’d play outside, and the fireflies, grasshoppers, and frogs were always so loud and harmonious; it was like they had their own song. These sounds from nature I hold very dear to me. As a child, it was especially easy for me to be hypnotized by a song and sit in its environment, like it had its own persona. I aspire to create music that can transport the listener to a place that they need to be in.
KP: I really love it. As a native New Yorker, I often feel like I missed out on a lot of that in my childhood.
she’s green has quickly become one of the most anticipated newer acts in shoegaze — a genre that often comes with both admiration and limitation. You’ve said, “I love [shoegaze]. We just don’t want to be in a box.” What aspects of the genre feel most aligned with you, and what parts are you intentionally resisting or reshaping? What can listeners expect from you sonically in the future that may challenge or depart from what they’ve come to expect?
ZS: I love shoegaze because the genre evokes emotions that you can’t normally get from a pop song. The delicate and powerful beauty that you can create sonically is so special. We’ve always leaned into dreamy sounds because we love cinema and nature. But as our inspirations change, we hope that people in the community will still accept us for whatever direction we decide to go in. As we grow into our sound, we've been realizing that we’re capable of moving in many directions — you can expect to hear some heavier songs and more folk/pop/jangle-influenced tracks. I want to be honest and true at the core to make sure the songs sound good in multiple forms beyond our love for effects.
KP: And we all look forward to that!
Your live performances are known not only for your presence on stage but also for the intimate, electric community that surrounds them. Was there an early show in particular that made you realize just how far this project could go?
ZS: Yes, there was a show we played at a DIY venue called Cemetery Ridge in June 2023. It was about 100 degrees in this garage, and I could barely hear myself singing, but the energy was unbelievable. That was our first ever headline show; we played with Flooding and it still makes me smile when I’m nervous to play a show or when I’m tired on tour. Everyone in the room was present with us; it was so special.
KP: Your lyrics carry a kind of quiet intensity — a gentleness with real weight behind it. Is there one track or line in your discography that feels especially close to your heart, something that you hope people will still return to ten years from now?
ZS: In the song “Mandy,” I say, “Dancing through all the moments that define me.” I wrote it before I was in a band, when it was just me in my bedroom trying to figure out where I fit in the world. This song will always bring back some heavy feelings for me, and I hope it will continue to resonate with people going through similar feelings.
KP: Well, speaking of, I’ve been listening to “Mandy” since it dropped, so I can’t help but ask, what inspired it? And could you walk us through a bit of the song’s production? It’s such a beautiful track.
ZS: Thank you so much. It’s wild; I can honestly barely remember it. I was feeling particularly detached from reality and decided to grab my guitar and just start recording. It started with the guitar chords and mumbling melodies. After recording chords, I played about 50 different riffs while I was recording, and the most simple ones stuck. I started soaking in the instrumental I created, and it took me right where I was. I was feeling life go by too quickly, and thoughtfulness felt hard to find. Through these hard feelings, I still knew that every moment was special. The lyrics came right out, and that was that.
“I absolutely feel a responsibility to challenge expectations. There really are a lot of men out here, but I see it as a strength that I can lean into my feminine side and stand out.”
KP: To move onto your newer work, your forthcoming EP, Chrysalis, drops on August 15, which will be your first body of work in over two years. Congratulations! What can you share about this new chapter? What part of its writing or recording brought you the most joy or revelation?
ZS: Thank you! A lot has happened since we last released a project, and I couldn’t be more excited to show off what we’ve been cooking up. Raines was added to the band after we released Wisteria, and since then we’ve done a ton of shows while writing and finishing school. We’re all now finally able to commit all that we’ve got to this and have since been writing and touring a ton. One of the highlights of writing these songs was staying in an Airbnb in the woods in northern Wisconsin. We wanted an escape to write, and that’s how the song “Little Birds” came together. We cooked up some yummy food, had silly jams, and went on some truly breathtaking hikes.
KP: You’ve said that “Willow” reflects on “our dying relationship with the natural world — a relationship that’s not always loving, but formative nonetheless.” What drew you to explore this tension? Is it more of a personal reflection, or do you feel there’s a political dimension to it as well?
ZS: The personal and political tension has been a bit inescapable for me. I love going outside and sitting with nature, but knowing that it is being mistreated — and will continue to be mistreated — hurts. We are all being impacted by it on a physical level, and spiritually it’s impacting us all much more than we know. It often feels like we’re losing touch with ourselves, and it’s not even up to us.
KP: I spoke with Sally Potter not too long ago about her newest record, Anatomy, which was a full exploration of global warming and humans’ detrimental relationship with the planet. I’m so happy that we have brilliant artists like yourselves shedding light on such a critical turning point in our planet’s lifetime.
You’ve opened for nationally touring acts, yet remain deeply rooted in DIY spaces. How do you balance that duality, especially in an industry that is becoming increasingly corporatized?
ZS: As every part of our life becomes increasingly corporatized, true human art remains invaluable. Music has — and will always be — an outlet of expression for us. I think it’s helped us to escape the corporatized aspects of life, and sacrificing the freedom to create will just kill your soul. Thankfully, there are a lot of independent — and even larger — venues that still put on newer and smaller acts, and there are so many artists that share this sentiment of cultivation. Coming up in a city with such a friendly and flourishing DIY scene, with all the help and support that we were given with recording and playing shows — we just want to give that back on the road.
KP: As a female frontwoman in a genre still largely dominated by men, do you feel a responsibility to challenge expectations? There’s a powerful lineage of women in these scenes, even if they’ve often been historically overlooked. Do you think about what it means to reshape or disrupt those spaces for future artists?
ZS: Yes, I absolutely feel a responsibility to challenge expectations. There really are a lot of men out here, but I see it as a strength that I can lean into my feminine side and stand out. Our experiences and opinions matter, and it can be really hard in this industry; you really have to hold your head up high. I love pushing boundaries with the melodies and lyrics that I write, trying to create something uniquely my own. My biggest inspiration for melodies has been Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins; she’s an absolute angel. As for disrupting these spaces, it only opens doors for more women to freely express themselves and their art.
KP: I was just listening to “Cherry-coloured Funk!” I think that's one of my favorite songs of all time.
What would you say to young women who are thinking about stepping into music today, especially those who are still trying to find their voice or community?
ZS: I would tell them that there’s no better time than now, but to make sure to find people who value and respect creating a safe and sustainable environment in the community. When you know you have people around you that will call someone out for bad behavior, playing a show feels a lot safer. And when you have a safe space to perform, you can truly find your voice and way in the scene.
KP: If you could speak to the younger version of yourself before she’s green was formed, what would you tell her?
ZS: I’d tell her to keep her head up and to keep staying true to herself.
KP: What advice would you lend women about life, work, or love?
ZS: Be the woman you want to be and say what needs to be said. Don’t let a partner, parent, co-worker, or boss tell you who you are. Find that out yourself.
For work and love, ask yourself if you feel safe and comfortable where you’re at. Is this job or partner adding to your life or detracting from it?
KP: What do you feel makes a provocative woman?
ZS: A woman that doesn’t need to speak for you to understand.
Photography: Liam Armstrong
