The Shrubs are an Indie/Psych Rock group from Houston, Texas. They’ve been with Blossom Records since 2019. Currently a duo, they are Sophie and Miguel. Being very insular and somewhat isolated, they record and produce all of their music themselves using predominantly vintage analog gear and tape machines. “Let Us In” is their first single of 2026.
With “Let Us In” out now, we took some time to hear from The Shrubs. Read below to learn more about The Shrubs, the story behind “Let Us In,” and what’s to come.
Hi! Let’s start with how did the group’s name come about?
Miguel: It’s actually from an “inspirational” video that we had to watch at work (Sophie and I used to be coworkers before we were bandmates). To sum it up, the host was saying not everyone was meant to be an Oak tree, some of us have to be Shrubs, so be the best shrub you can be! Haha, it is a bit cheesy, but I really liked the way it sounded, “be a Shrub,” haha.
What city are you both from, and where are you both based now?
Miguel: I was born in Houston, moved to Seattle for some time, for a different musical project, eventually ended up back where I started! Figuratively and literally in this case . . . we are based out of Houston now.
How and when did this duo form?
Miguel: I think it was around 2021 or 2022 when Sophie joined, her boyfriend (now husband), was also our coworker, and he liked The Shrubs sound, haha. So, he sent me some clips of her singing, I was pretty impressed! It wasn’t too long after that I invited her to join in.
How would you both describe your group’s sound?
Miguel: It is always hard for me to answer this one whenever it comes up! I would probably say the most accurate description would be “Atmospheric freedom,” but usually people want a genre. I think Indie/Psych Dream Rock would also be appropriate really. Whenever I’m writing a song, I really try to paint a picture with sounds, create different textures etc. I’m sure there are correct terms that would describe that in the audio realm, I just don’t know what they are!
Who are some of your group’s main musical influences?
Miguel: I could name so many really! I think everyone in rock probably has the core influences of The Beatles, The Pixies, etc. . . . I think some of the bands that have directly influenced what we are doing now are probably Foxes in Fiction, The Raveonettes, Alvvays, Cults and Skywave. From a production standpoint, I’m a really big fan of a lot of the Vaporwave aesthetic (still! haha) I really love Windows 96 especially, individually some of the sounds are pure Casio ridiculousness, but they are assembled in a very cohesive way. Sun Beam Sound Machines and Blood Cultures are really good also in that regard.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your group’s music career so far?
Miguel: Well, we did have a track in a commercial a few years back, but I think overall, for me, it would have to be the consistently increasing sentiment of a general acceptance of what we are doing. It definitely wasn’t always like that, so it’s really cool to see the “tide turning,” so to speak.
What would you both say are the greatest lessons that you both have learned so far?
Miguel: I think that somehow retaining that childlike creative mental space that I’m able to escape to when I’m writing and recording is not only useful for writing songs, but essential to my mental well being! The unfortunate part of the lesson is that sometimes you have to cut different people and situations out of your life in order to preserve what matters the most to you.
Now onto “Let Us In.” What inspired this song?
Miguel: It’s a bit personal really. I’ll say this, I think that as humans, we fear what is different on a sub-conscience, instinctual level. So, there’s a desire to gravitate towards the mean. There’s a huge amount of people left outside of that group who are judged for nothing other than being themselves. Some of that group have the type of personalities that thrives off of that aimless persecution, some don’t and live a very tortured life. That generalized concept is what inspired “Let Us In.”
What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for “Let Us In?”
Miguel: I think it is very fitting, it’s a treated pic taken from underwater looking up at the sky. It has a really interesting interplay of textures, haze and atmosphere to it, just like “Let Us In!”
What was the creative process like when making “Let Us In?”
Miguel: All over the place really! Recording the traditional instruments was pretty quick and painless, the piano parts were fun. Sophie did all the vocals really fast, I want to say like less than two hours! It all started with the main guitar riff that opens the song. From the very beginning, there was a definite focused vision that I had of how it was supposed to sound and what I was hoping to achieve tonally. Coincidentally around its initial inception, I was gifted with a few additional reel to reel players, one being a Tascam 22-4 four track machine. I also got my hands on a Tascam 122 Mk II cassette player, so I wrote a lot of the parts knowing I would be running them through those. I wanted to use them like an instrument, not melodically of course, but more for a platform of subtle expression. For some parts, it seems not so subtle it turns out! Kind of like a few silent partners in the firm, haha.
How long did it take to complete “Let Us In?”
Miguel: About 8-9 months of daily work really. That is pretty extreme, even for me! A huge portion of that was learning how to get what I was going for out of the tape machines, lots and lots of trial and error, sourcing vintage Maxell 35-90b reel tape and cassettes, etc. The unpredictable nature of it all was very inspiring though, some of the results weren’t what I was even going for, but ended up being much better than what I had in mind! It really did end up as if there was an additional member contributing, the “Ghost in the Machine,” haha!
What do you both hope fans take away from “Let Us In” and your duo’s music in general?
Miguel: I think our music is designed for listeners to get as “lost” in it as I do when we are making it, so that is almost always the main goal!
What’s next? Are you all working on any upcoming projects, or do you all have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
Miguel: We are currently working on a full-length album, so definitely be on the look out for that! We are shooting for an end of the year release date, but it’s always hard to tell just how long it will take.
Where can we follow your group on social media?
Our social media links:
https://www.instagram.com/theshrubs_official
https://www.facebook.com/theshrubsofficial
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6FVjrnNveFv04z66lrq0nW
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-shrubs/1475198518
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5zBWiLBVY-_X5zHOYI47pw
Before you go, let’s ask you an off-topic question. What is your favorite food?
Miguel: I’ve really been into mushrooms lately! Turns out they are a bit of a super food . . . so they say, haha.
Thank you for the great interview; wish you all much continued success!
