Before forming Smush, couple Emily Borrowman and Atley King had been casually writing songs together for several years. In 2022, they both began to dive deeper into the shoegaze genre and began writing more intentional songs, with the band being formed informally. They were further inspired after a trip to New York and seeing some of the bands there. King had been in previous bands and has a BA in jazz vibraphone, while Borrowman had previously performed in choirs and theatre.

The band released their first studio album, if you were here i’d be home now, on June 15, 2024. It was originally only available on Bandcamp before the band was able to find a digital distributor, later releasing it on streaming on November 1. Some of the album’s tracks originated from the band’s first recording sessions from 2022. In the songwriting process, Borrowman took much inspiration from female songwriters, using an honest and reflective style.

On February 20, 2026, Smush released the covers EP, standards. They plan to have their next album be a concept album.