Sven Gamsky, the musical prodigy behind Still Woozy, has been around the block a few times, but his newest album "Loveseat" seems to hold a different sentiment. His life has changed in the last two years as he welcomed married life alongside becoming a father. Universal Music Group's 1824 team hosted a press conference last week that I had the pleasure of virtually attending, and hearing firsthand the inspiration and ideas behind "Loveseat" was so special. Below are some of the questions he answered.
Q: How did you come up with the cover art for "Loveseat"?
My wife, and the mother of my baby, has done all of the art. that just comes straight from her brain, she's always doodled and loved to make things, and that's just what comes naturally to her. I saw the piece of art she did and it really captivated me.
Q: You mentioned that every song on the album is about someone you love, and your last album explored longing and loss, so now that you've explored these two sides, did one of the albums feel more nervewracking for you to release than the other?
Maybe this one because I feel like it has different kinds of songs than I've put out in the past. First and foremost, I want to make music that I like and I'm proud of, but there's a little voice in my head saying "I wonder how people will actually like this?" Left to my own devices, I can make some weird crazy music. I have these country and weird experimental songs that I don't know if I'll ever put out. My hope is that by introducing enough variety in my albums, people won't be surprised if I put out a curveball song.
Q: What artists, or certain eras of artists, inspired you the most for this record?
There's a lot of older music that inspired me for this, a lot of The Beatles, but then some Marvin Gaye records that feel really warm. Ones that feel like they're inviting you into the space and nothing is overly compressed. Tame Impala as well inspired me for the synth texture which I can't get enough of.
Q: It's been a couple of years since you released your last album, what's changed for you and how you approached this album, what did you do differently?
For the last album, there were a lot of songs more about how it felt and this time I wanted to still have the vibe right, but experiment with storytelling. I just feel like it's so captivating when someone can take you on the journey of the song both lyrically and sonically. Just to grow as an artist and push myself to be more vulnerable.
Q: What's it like to bring a live band into music that is personal and vulnerable? How does that feel?
It feels really good so far, we've only done two nights. The last song on the album is called Rid Of Me, which is probably my favorite on the album, it's been feeling really good live, pretty cathartic. It seems like people are receptive to it.
Q: How has fatherhood shaped this album?
I knew that I had a limited amount of time before the baby came to finish the album, and so it really made me get my shit together. I think that was the most tangible way that it did. Having a deadline, the baby was the dealine, was really helpful.
Q: How does your environment and surroundings influence your songwriting and musical creativity?
There's a lot of ways I could answer this, I'm someone that needs to be relatively grounded to make music, like in the same place. I have a home studio, and when I can wake up everyday and go down and work, I can get into a really good groove. But when I'm on tour waking up in a new place very night, its destabilizing. For being creative, that isn't the right environment, I need to have quiet and space and familiarity
Q: Do you see your sophomore album as an evolution or continuation of your last album, or a fresh chapter for you creatively?
It's a mix between the two. There's some songs that I feel are more reminiscent of the first album, but I made a conscious effort not to have it be only that. I want to introduce new sounds so it's not a shock when I start putting stuff out that's pushing things sonically. I know that I have a style, so there's an element of familiarity that I can't quite get away from, and I'm not mad at that, it's not bad or anything.
Q: What was the most challenging part of recording for the new album?
The most challenging part by far was the mixing and mastering. I'm so annoyed with how particular I am about how it sounds. There's like ten revisions for each mix and each master. I would do it differently, I want to change that, it's not sustainable how crazy I dived into it this time.
This conference was a full circle moment for me, getting to go from being the fan to being a part of a team of wonderful people getting to cover Sven's new music was amazing. His new album is a beautiful testament to how much life can change and evolve into something even better than what it was. It's obvious that Gamsky adores his wife and child! "Loveseat" is available on all streaming platforms and you can catch Still Woozy on tour through the summer.
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