The Brooklyn shoegaze duo, smush, has revealed their reimagined cover of Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why” to announce their upcoming EP.
From Vancouver to Brooklyn
Vocalist/bassist Emily Borrowman originally met guitarist Atley King in Vancouver, BC, before relocating to Brooklyn, NY. There, after some visa hurdles were handled, the married couple fully immersed themselves in the New York underground shoegaze scene. In 2024, they released their debut album, if you were here i’d be home now, which amassed hundreds of thousands of streams and included fan favorites such as “goodnight moon” and “fivefivefive.”
For years, they have captivated listeners with their hazy, dreamy sound, transcendent live show, and lyrics that stay both grounded and elusive, blending rural, urban, and fantasy worlds. Now, they have unveiled their cover of Norah Jones’ acclaimed “Don’t Know Why.”
Don’t Know Why
smush’s rendition of “Don’t Know Why” is a soft, hazy, dreamscape that features electronic drums to set the pace. It showcases smush’s blend of sounds and gravitation toward a DIY sound in a time where polished products are constantly produced.
“’Don’t Know Why’ is a really special song for us because it always reminds us of New York City,” says smush. “When we first started working on our cover of this classic we hadn’t yet moved to NYC and it would always bring to mind thoughts of Norah Jones there at the start of her career. To us it seemed like she had found an indescribable magic in that place and it was very inspirational to us at the time. Since moving here, we have found something similarly special and this is our way of saying ‘thank you.’”
standards
The cover arrives as a taste of the duo’s upcoming EP, standards. It is set to release on February 20 and features six covers from their musical heroes. The duo states in an Instagram post about their “Lawyers In Love” cover that it was an “early taste of our new ep featuring songs that have helped shape us musically and as people.”
standards was completely self-produced and mixed by Sonny Diperri, known for his work with DIIV and Julie. He also worked as an in-house engineer for Trent Reznor, My Bloody Valentine, M83, David Longstreth, and more.
The EP also includes covers from Hotline TNT, Retail Drugs, Field Magic, Big Rig, and Owl City’s chart-topper, “Fireflies.” (View full tracklist below.) Their intentionally imperfect, surreal EP is available for pre-order here!
standards EP Tracklist:
2. lawyers in love (Hotline TNT)
3. don’t know why (Norah Jones)
4. bachelorette (Big Rig)
5. henna tattoo (Field Medic)
6. fireflies (Owl City)
