Songfacts®:

• After recording two folksy Americana-based solo albums, Nathaniel Rateliff decided to pursue a more soulful sound. This was the first song he penned in the new style. "I was just excited about it," he recalled to The Guardian. "I was just like, 'Holy s--t!'"
  
  He added: "I'd just got this old Epiphone [guitar] I was writing on, and I thought: 'I really want to write something that's kind of like The Band and kind of like Sam & Dave. I love to dance and I love the way those songs make me feel," he added. "I wanted to do it for a long time but I couldn't figure out a way to do it without being cheesy."
• Writing "Trying So Hard Not To Know" felt like a code Rateliff needed to crack. "I had friends who were doing stuff like that but I just wanted it to be more sweaty," he told The Sun. "I wanted it to be like Otis Redding at the end of a show, soaking wet."
• The late Richard Swift was instrumental in shaping the sound of Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats' self-titled debut album. The larger-than-life producer, who passed away in 2018, first crossed paths with Rateliff backstage at a Delta Spirit show in London.
  
  Years later, Swift would become a crucial collaborator when Rateliff sent him early demos of the Night Sweats' music. Impressed by the material, Swift's endorsement helped secure a deal with Concord Music Group, an apt home for the band's soulful sound.
• Rateliff recalled to The Sun how he and Swift shared a passion for music gear, describing their bond as kindred spirits. Together, they embarked on shopping sprees for guitars and effects pedals, with Swift even creating a unique amplifier from a milk crate. This creative partnership was a cornerstone of the band's early success.