Minneapolis’ she’s green bring indie-fantasy debut swallowtail to recordBar
Photo by River Louraine
she’s green
with support from Witches Exist and Starling
recordBar
Nov. 2, 2026
Minneapolis-based indie band she’s green is touring for their debut LP, swallowtail, an album filled with light and airy vocals and layered guitars. The band debuted in 2022 and is led by vocalist Zofia Smith, influenced by shoegaze artists like Slowdive and Cocteau Twins and providing an aesthetic you could find in any Miyazaki film. They’re featured on playlists with the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Blood Orange, and their music is like the soundtrack to a dream.
swallowtail further explores the fantasy world they’ve created with rich and emotional depth. They visualize this world with almost every track getting its own music video on their YouTube channel, with each having a unique style. The first song of the album, “locket,” features two women in lacy white dresses ambling through the woods. Liam Armstrong, guitarist, directed and edited the video, and shot it on a Kodak Super 8mm camera, which gave the video a grainy and vintage look. It made me think of the original 1977 cartoon for The Hobbit. Smith also has directing credits with Armstrong on the video for “paper thin,” which goes almost the opposite direction of “locket.” Smith walks down a street at night, alternating between lip-syncing and smoking a cigarette with a blue, Twilight-like filter imposed over it. While each music video has its own aesthetic, they all fit incredibly well within the band’s soft and authentic sound. Fans of dreampop have been loving the resurgence of the genre, and it was clear to see why when she’s green passed through Kansas City.
Despite only being active for four years, the band had almost sold out recordBar on Nov. 2. With this being their first-ever headlining tour in the U.S., it was the perfect opportunity to see them shine on their own, and to see if they could replicate their ambiance in person.
The night opened with two “green” acts, starting with an alternative band called Starling. Their sound was mesmerizing and almost impossible to pin down in a genre. The songs they performed, like “I Can Be Convinced” and “Bottlebrush Tree,” shifted tones and paces, starting slow and solemn in the verses and crashing loud and angry in the chorus. The guitarist, Gitai Vinshtok, would repeatedly bang against the pickups of his instrument, creating an unearthly warbling effect that rang out over the crowd. Starling ended their set with their lead singer, Kasha Souter Willett, calling us to dance for their last two songs: “Are you gonna end the night knowing you didn’t live up to your full potential if you don’t dance?” During their last song, “571,” Willett set down her microphone and jumped into the crowd. The lyrics, “I’d hate to look back and think I could have done more to get there,” echoed in my mind as she grabbed audience members’ hands and danced with them. I will be very excited to see more of their work if they ever come through Kansas City again.
Starling left the stage and made way for the second opening band, Witches Exist. They sounded more like traditional indie rock and were less shoegaze than the other bands they were touring with. This was amplified by the fact that one of their members was stationed at a synthesizer keyboard, hammering away to create an upbeat backdrop for the electric performance. They played “pyre,” their newest single released just over a month ago, along with a slew of unreleased music. They were upbeat and catchy, and I was sincerely bummed that I couldn’t listen to them on my way home. Still, it only made me more intrigued for when this upcoming album drops, and I will definitely be tuning in once it hits streaming.
Finally, the time was nigh, and the main act took the stage as the lights turned the expected green. The audience cheered as the members took their places with their instruments, with Smith floating behind them. The opening notes of “locket” washed over the crowd, and the whole room began singing along to, “Goodnight, you say what you like, your mind oversimplified.” she’s green describes themselves as “moss music,” and that is somehow the perfect description for it. It’s soft and natural, yet somehow overwhelming with how quickly it grows on you. Everything about their performance blended so well together–Armstrong and Raines Lucas stood on either side of Smith, riffing on their guitars and drenching the space in reverb. The bassist, Teddy Nordvold, and the drummer, Kevin Seebeck, supported the group with a strong, anchoring rhythm. Smith’s angelic and crystal-clear vocals shone through it all. Her voice is otherworldly, reverberating throughout the bar in an almost haunting way.
Photo by River Louraine
she’s green played mostly from swallowtail, with my personal favorite being “empty house.” Smith had to preface this one with, “This next song is really sad.” With lyrics like, “I’m choked up in this dying empty house, I hope it’s beautiful,” I appreciated the warning, but enjoyed it immensely all the same. They also revisited earlier albums like “graze” from chrysalis, a song that sounds like a dreamy version of a Slow Pulp track. Smith danced and spun around her fellow bandmates, occasionally picking up a tambourine and tapping along to the beat. She often looked out into the crowd and held eye contact with patrons, smiling warmly as they sang along with her. It seemed deeply important to her to connect with as many fans as she could. She had to suppress a giggle when she heard a younger person standing next to me shout, “I’m feeling so green right now!”
she’s green ended the night with “close your eyes,” which was a perfect closing song. I exited the building with “I will float, I will fly when I see you again,” running circles through my mind. It was a beautiful way to give the audience a glimmer of hope that the band might happily return one day. With how jam-packed the bar was that night, and with the amount of sold-out stops they have for the remainder of their tour, I have a feeling they will be headed for more and bigger venues soon. I had a magical evening at recordBar, and I will definitely be getting myself a ticket when they inevitably tour again.
You can find swallowtail on streaming now.
