Still Woozy Releases first Full Album
Trying to pin down Still Woozy’s genre can be as slippery and elusive as his dreamlike beats themselves. Part indie and part psychedelic bedroom pop with a healthy amount of funk thrown in, it’s clear no one category’s conventions can tie him down. To put it simply, there’s a sort of “Woozy factor.”
It’s this “Woozy factor” that makes the experience of listening to his work so unique. Pouring through your headphones on the way to class, Goodie Bag is a groovy, head-bopping, feel-good track. However, late at night as you toss and turn, you can find solace in the quiet poetry hidden beneath the diaphanous exterior: You know I wanna be...Above everything...But I'm just not there yet.
But in his first album, If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is, there’s a clarity we haven’t gotten from singles like Vacation or Window. Still groovy and optimistic, we feel we’re being spoken to beyond the gauzy and gooey facade of Still Woozy, by Sven Gamsky himself.
Sven, the one-man band behind Still Woozy, has been involved with music his entire life. He studied music in college, with an emphasis on classical guitar. He was heavily involved in an alternative math-rock group called Feed Me Jack before moving on to start his personal project. Something that has always made his music stand out is the lushness of the melodies and the rich texture he creates with unique, “found” sounds (like a bed creaking rhythmically). This makes sense in the context of his life of music, and his album serves as a showcase for these efforts.
On August 31st, SHEI was able to attend a press conference where Sven spoke about his new album. Even via Zoom, Sven’s gentle kindness was apparent. The shadowy bedroom backdrop gave the subtle suggestion of the private life of an artist, a glimpse into the world that incubated his rich and soulful songs. We kicked things off with a lot of interest in the process of the new album, which was made in large part during quarantine.
*Edited for clarity*
(When I Make It To LA) Q: “Congrats on the new album! Was there anything unique about your musical process this time around?”
Sven: “Yeah, usually I’ve just done stuff completely by myself, but this time I was working with my friend who’s a producer, his name is Lars Stalfors...I don’t know, my brain is not very organized and it can be hard for me to get stuff done and so basically be was like, the drill sergeant, just kept me on task…”
(Cut it Out Magazine) Q: “How do you feel like COVID and the lockdown influenced your music in terms of themes, writing styles, etc.?”
S: “I think that it gave me time to really focus on what I really wanted to do. And so I just had time to experiment more. Also, there was more stress in my life, so I ended up writing about my rapidly deteriorating mental health. I think it made me look inward rather than outward for subject matter to write about. A lot of time I would write about my relationship and stuff, and so I think this allowed me to shift the focus a little bit.”
With in-person tours now becoming possible again, there was a lot of curiosity about how Sven anticipated his own tour coming up later this year.
(Beyond the Stage Magazine) Q: “What are you most looking forward to about touring?”
S: I’m just looking forward to bringing these songs, that were hatched alone, to people and see how people react to it. I'm curious to see the songs and the moments in songs that people respond to the most. You can write it, but then people can interpret it in different ways.
The moments that Sven came most alive was when he would talk about the music itself. The hesitation and shyness gave way to an excitement inherent in speaking about something you love. It’s clear that Sven’s music is his life, both as a reflection of it and its very substance.
(Beyond the Stage Magazine) Q: What’s your secret to balancing catchy instrumentals to solid lyricism?
S: “Um, I always write the melodies first...I feel like the framework is the melody, so I spend a lot of time after that bringing in the lyrics, and I think taking the time intertwining the two while having a solid framework is usually how I do it.”
(Tastemakers) Q: Are there any songs that stand out to you? That you’re particularly proud or affectionate of?
A: “I think “All Along” is the one I'm most proud of. It’s the most personal I ever got with a song. It’s about something I’ve never written about before. Also, the vocals on that, I kind of screamed. I tried for a while to figure out how to scream, or yell-sing. I’m usually so soft, and it was something I worked for and I feel like I got something I really liked so I was proud of that.”
Throughout Sven’s discography you can see an artist coming into his own sound, but also coming into his own emotions and expressing them in an increasingly coherent and honest way. The title of the album itself, If This isn’t Nice, then I Don’t Know What Is, feels almost defiant about the reception of his music because he is confident in its quality and authenticity. But fans and critics alike seem to agree, it is nice, and it’s an important step in his journey as an artist that is wonderful to witness.