Bending the Rules With Still Woozy
Written by Jayne Pilch
Graphic by Rebekah Witt
If you have dabbled in the indie pop genre at any point in time, chances are you have come across the work of Sven Gamsky, widely known as Still Woozy. Signed under an exclusive license to Interscope Records, Gamsky has zero restrictions when it comes to adding distinct creative elements to his songs. Still Woozy’s discography consists of several tracks released as individual singles over the course of four years, and as of August 12th, his debut album, If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is. Gamsky’s down-to-earth personality, as shown through his lyrics, combined with gentle melodies creates a sound that simply feels like home. Still Woozy could be playing a stadium show, and it would feel like an intimate coffee shop performance. Shortly after the release of If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is, I had the pleasure of attending a press conference centered around the album’s release, where the man himself answered questions about the album, life during a pandemic, and the upcoming If This Isn’t Nice tour.
Though the themes of each song vary throughout the album, you can count on Still Woozy’s unique sound for a sense of familiarity and comfort with every track. Gamsky mentioned that he never feels restricted by his style and finds comfort in having consistency within each release. Each song has its own unique pieces of ‘ear candy,’ which highlight elements such as ‘scream-singing,’ snippets of people talking, and differing time signatures. The opening track, “Woof,” is ‘just something fun’ to lift listeners up. The music video for “Woof” depicts Sven Gamsky singing happily in the middle of a mosh pit, and what’s better than moshing to indie music? Still Woozy’s intentions behind this album are for fans—and himself—to not take life so seriously, and this track is the perfect introduction to Gamsky’s free-spirited frame of mind.
During the press conference, there was a lot of talk about creating an album during a pandemic. As one can imagine, the past year and a half has offered a great deal of free time for nearly everyone; this has forced [him] to delve into the challenges of mental health struggles while isolated from the rest of the world. It was difficult for him to write songs about others as he spent so much time thinking about his mental health and making music from a place of longing. The 29 year-old usually writes about his partner, and the pandemic allowed him to ‘look more inward rather than outward about his relationship’ and feelings. When asked what he is most proud of on the record, he revealed that he is the most proud of “All Along,” both lyrically and production-wise. Creating this track allowed him to expand his typical songwriting process, hence it being written about someone else.
Gamsky claims that it would be misleading to make all of his lyrics uplifting, as he wants to be transparent with fans and not be perceived as someone he is not. As a perfectionist about all the ‘little details,’ he was worried that he was sacrificing his relationship with his team by not being satisfied until the record was flawless in his eyes. This comment opened my eyes to all that goes into producing individual songs and allowed me to appreciate all the extensive work that production entails. There is truly something to be said about all the seemingly small sound bits, which add a flawless touch to each song on If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is.
When I am listening to a song for the first time, I attempt to imagine how the song may be executed in front of a live audience. This was a topic of conversation during the event, and Gamsky expressed great excitement about playing in-person live shows, emphasizing “Get By” as the track he is most looking forward to performing each night on tour. It is easy to visualize a lively, energetic crowd singing along to “Get By” in unison, given its free and easy ambience. It will be interesting to notice individual moments within songs that people resonate most with, as everyone will interpret each song on the setlist in different ways. This could entail the crowd singing a certain line louder than expected, using the phone flash feature to light up the venue, or even the simple act of togetherness in the crowd. Many of these tracks have never been performed in front of a live audience with “WTF,” one of the first songs Gamsky created under the name Still Woozy, as an exception. He noted that it was difficult to find the right instrumental piece and did not have any plans to release it from the vault until he sought the input of producer Lars Stalfors. Some things are just meant to work out, and this song was definitely meant to be heard.
When I first listened to If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is, I was met with a sense of comfort and peace. It is clear that Still Woozy writes his songs with the intention of him and his fans keeping calm and staying present in the moment. The track I have found myself revisiting most often is “Rocky,” a dreamy, psychedelic piece released back in February as the first single from the record. He noted that, in order to build a framework for each individual song, he always thinks of his melodies before writing lyrics. This is no surprise, as his melodies are the backbone of his unforgettable genre-bending sound. All in all, Sven Gamsky’s debut record has created a lasting impression on fans of all genres. Relieved that the album is finally out, Still Woozy is looking forward to relaxing before his fall tour kicks off on September 14th.