The name Still Woozy has been floating around the public consciousness for nearly five years at this point following an onslaught of memorable singles back in 2017, but tomorrow marks the release of Sven Gamsky’s first full-length record under the moniker, following 2019’s Lately EP. Merging in-fashion genres like bedroom pop and indietronica with heavy alt-R&B overtones, If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is makes as much of a bold introduction to the artist as his tracks “Goodie Bag” and “Cooks” did four years ago.
While the influence of early Strokes records creep in on the chipper guitars of and tight percussion of “Woof,” and the minimal hip-hop beats of “WTF” channel the less-is-more beats of certain Drake singles, we asked Gamsky to go into a little more detail on what inspired ITINIDKWI (beyond Vonnegut, who may or may not have contributed the album’s title). From The Weeknd to ELO, Shaggy to The Beatles, listen through Still Woozy’s playlist below to get a taste for what his debut LP has in store when it drops tomorrow.
The Strokes, “Reptilia”
This song is in my DNA. It was the first video I watched on AOL Music back in the early days when AOL was around. The pace and the fun energy worked itself into my album for sure.
Peter Drake, “Forever”
This song wraps you up in a blanket and lets you forget about everything for a second. I wanted to try something like this for my song “Drake.”
The Weeknd, “I Feel It Coming”
The funky production and the groove blew me away when I first heard this. It was the perfect combination of funk and pop sensibility that I hadn’t really heard in a contemporary way. I took notes.
Jeremih, “Oui”
I’m always going to want to dance (and sing) when I hear this. I wanted to have music compel people to move like this song does.
The Beatles, “Hard Day’s Night”
The early Beatles captured the essence of letting go of stress and enjoying yourself. The energy and tempo of this song gave me a goal to shoot for.
D’Angelo, “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”
This vibe of this song is unparalleled. It takes its time and crafts an environment for you to live in. The dedication to the vibe is what I took away from this song.
Shaggy, “It Wasn’t Me”
The hooks in this song are so varied and timeless. I tried my hand at stringing hooks together after hearing this.
Lil Wayne, “Mrs. Officer”
The harmonies on the hook always mess me up. The combination of harmonies and groove made this song something I looked up to while making the album.
Electric Lights Orchestra, “Mr. Blue Sky”
I love the immediacy and urgency of this song. It got me thinking about how to vary the tempos of my tracks.
Drake, “One Dance”
This song never gets old for me. The way the samples complement the huge drum production has always been super inspiring to me.
