Still Woozy, the Portland-based singer, songwriter and producer whose creative imprint left an indelible mark on SZA’s 2022 track “Too Late,” applies all the most infectious parts of feel-good psych-pop, like a base coat to his music. The soulful R&B layers come next, bolstered by beats he produces in his garage studio. If we had to pinpoint the sound exactly, cozy just about covers it.
The DIY artist, born Sven Eric Gamsky, started gaining traction under the name Still Woozy after releasing 2017’s “Goodie Bag,” and he’s been steadily growing in demand. FIFA 21 snagged one of his tracks for its 2020 video game soundtrack, alongside notables like Dua Lipa and Louis the Child. The following year, he debuted his first album, If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is and embarked on a global tour, stopping in to play at Las Vegas’ Life Is Beautiful festival, where he unknowingly performed—damn well, might we add—with COVID.
A lot’s transpired since then, Gamsky told the Weekly ahead of his show at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on September 30—major life changes that have helped inform how he chose to express himself on June’s sophomore LP, Loveseat.
“I got married, settled down. We love Portland, Oregon. I think we're probably gonna stay here forever. But more than anything, I just wanted to focus on different things. I didn't want to make the same record twice,” says Gamsky, who recently became a father. “I wanted to push myself and try to capture the vibe I wanted, but also push myself to grow lyrically and songwriting wise. Instead of it just being like, ‘Oh, this song is just a vibe.’ I wanted each song to really mean something in my life. I guess maybe you need three years of experiences to write about [that.]”
On Loveseat, rushes of romanticism seem to fuel Still Woozy like no other. Among the groovy confines of “Shotput,” he sings, “What can I say?/You’ll always get your way with me/Just barely five foot/You hit like a shot put and you got me.”
In past interviews, Gamsky’s mentioned his wife as an inspiration, and her influence can be heard in his love songs, as well as seen in the album cover art, which she produced. The musician admits he too thinks in images rather than words when it comes to music, saying that visionaries like Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese manga artist and animator who co-founded Studio Ghibli, has been a huge source of artistic influence.
“I think Miyazaki movies definitely have found their way into my subconscious. It's just that sense of surrealism,” Gamsky says.
Gamsky notes he let a few new voices in on his process this time around, creating half of Loveseat by himself and with Grammy-award winning producers like Ian Fitchuk (Kacey Musgraves, Leon Bridges) and Buddy Ross (Bon Iver, Arlo Parks). Too many cooks in the kitchen can often be a bad thing, but Gamsky strikes a tempered balance with his contributors, still making space for solo hits like “Frida Kahlo,” which sprints with longing and wailing guitars.
“For ‘Frida Kahlo’ specifically, I feel like I go crazy,” Gamsky says. “It's the fastest song I've ever written, and it just lends itself [to being performed] live. That was one of my favorites of the new ones to play.”
STILL WOOZY With Gus Dapperton, PawPaw Rod. September 30, 8 p.m., $40 - $125. Theater at Virgin, axs.com.
