Art by Ami Cooks
Sven Gamsky, known to music lovers alike as Still Woozy, is now three years into creating music under the moniker since his previous math rock band disbanded in 2016. Seeking out a way to continue to express and work through his own emotions, Sven is also aware of the fact that “if I know [my music] can provide some level of a buffer or will help me, I just know that I can do the same for other people” which seems to be why many of his listeners share similar stories of Still Woozy sounds bringing a sense of ease and comfort as the melodies travel through their ears. Described by many as a psychedelic pop artist, Woozy while understanding that genre can “be a helpful tool to navigate music”, is not something he wants to get stuck in. Personally, Sven doesn’t want to “be limited to just one thing because [he] has so many ideas”, but also shares that he doesn’t want his listeners to “get used to this one thing either”. I want to have enough space to explore and express all of the different parts of myself.
Photo by Shawheen Keyani
Having grown up a bit of a bookworm, Sven is no stranger to taking inspiration from the words on the pages and incorporating them into his songs. This year however, Gamsky has also made a conscious effort to be more like the third brother from Dostoevksy’s “The Brother’s Karma”. Being one of three brothers himself, Still Woozy explains, “There’s a really egotistical one and then there's the super-intelligent, and then there's this person who goes with the flow and is at peace, who is kind of on the spiritual aspects of life and I feel like that person. I've just tried to resonate with that person and that has spoken to me most about how I'm trying to live my life, not necessarily like an overly spiritual way, but just to kind of be more in touch with my emotions and my impact”.
When asked about what he’s been listening to during quarantine, Woozy gave props to Dominic Fike’s debut album, What Could Possibly Go Wrong, and suggested that D’Angelo’s music would be perfect to work out too though he’s spent a good amount of time eating pizza and doing just the opposite. Despite Sven’s claims of not being too active these last couple of months, he and his now fiancé did invest a few hours into learning the TikTok dance of 2020 to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage”which one could say is a work out in itself. Outside of great music, this year has also been one where social justice has come to the forefront. Not ignoring the realities of the world, Sven, after acknowledging his white privilege, makes it a point to “elevate other stories and kind of be more of an ally”; admitting that “it's something that [he’s] still figuring out how to do through social media” and outside of it.
Further speaking of his fiancé, Ami Cooks,the artist behind all of the Still Woozy cover art, Gamsky insists that she inspires him much beyond that. Lovingly accounting how “she puts art into every little thing she does. And it's so interesting and inspiring to see. She got so good at making these fancy things out of nowhere, you know? Or when she dresses she just puts all this detail. She just kind of makes her whole life into art, and I feel like that kind of has just inspired me more than anything else”. The attention to detail isn’t lost on Sven’s part either as he deems himself a perfectionist when it comes to self producing his own songs. Not wanting to hand the production reins off to a team because when getting “someone else to do it, it's never going to be like your true vision”. As someone who finds it hard to multi-task, Woozy enjoys playing “with sounds and textures” to “create something out of nothing” by “feeling the different textures of the drums and all the sounds, and then building on top of them so that it becomes this shape from the skeleton outward”. While the production and curating process is something he enjoys, Sven also continues to take part in it because he doesn’t want his music to lose its character, worried there will be a noticeable change in the sound.
Photo from Still Woozy Instagram
No longer having the ability to release songs as soon as they’re finished on his end due to now being signed to a label, Still Woozy shares that the music takes about a month to be released as they “have to get passed down the line of all the stuff [he doesn’t] fully understand”. While the time table is a bit out of his control, Gamsky ensures that he does check the mixes in both the car and through headphones to make sure the best and most intimate listening experience can be achieved. Claiming that the best way to listen to a Still Woozy song is with headphones while taking a walk to be able to catch “all of these tiny little noises that are for a second in like the right ear or something”.
For his latest single, “BS”, Still Woozy wrestles with thoughts out of his control bringing on ideas he doesn't want to go along with, but also feels he should. Just a little over two minutes in length, the lyrics are able to instantly latch on to that part of your brain that causes songs to get stuck in your head all day (in a good way). Coupled with a music video featuring Sven running away from a giant brain aka the B.S. before finding peace riding through the forest on a stallion, dancing across the sand before waves of the ocean take him in to the solace of his fiancé.
Thank you to 1824 and Still Woozy for their time! Be sure to follow Still Woozy on Instagram and stream his music on Spotify and Apple Music!
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