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Photo: Kane Layland

Robin Skinner, better known as Cavetown, is a 23-year-old London-based bedroom pop artist that has been producing and releasing music for nearly half of his life. Cavetown’s songwriting manages to find a way of articulating the deep, familiar feelings we can’t always find the right words for, balancing his vulnerable lyricism with an often lighthearted, D.I.Y. production style.

After releasing a string of singles throughout the year, Cavetown’s album worm food has officially dropped. worm food is somewhat of an amalgamation of Cavetown’s inner monologue, disguising his experiences with mental health and love into bite-sized anecdotes. “Juno,” a serenade to the artist’s cat, simultaneously captures the idleness of depression, while “1994” documents the experience of growing into an adult and learning to have compassion for oneself. While Cavetown writes most of his songs in solitude, several tracks on worm food arose from writing alongside OTW favorites beabadoobee, chloe moriondo, and Vic Fuentes.

We had the chance to catch up with Cavetown and get the inside scoop on worm food, from his earnest vulnerability when it comes to writing songs, to hearing fun anecdotes during the creation process of the project.

 Ones to Watch: Who is Cavetown?

Cavetown: Cavetown is my music project that I started when I was about 13 years old. It's been a therapeutic outlet for me for the past 10 years and somehow has become something which helps other kids just like 13-year-old me. It's crazy thinking about how much it's grown but at the same time, it's still just the same silly little music from my silly little brain :)

By the time this interview is up, worm food will be out for the world to hear! In one word, how do you feel right now?

Stoked !

You released your first single, “This Is Home” when you were 16. Now that you’re 23, almost 7 years older, has your personal growth been reflected, or perhaps documented, through your music?

For sure. Every song is kind of like a piece of me from different places in my life. Like a diary sort of. It feels cool to look back on my older songs from around the first version of "This is Home" and recognise all the struggles I was writing about so much are things of the past. At the time the stuff I was dealing with around my identity and mental health felt so permanent and it was hard to see a way out. Realizing now that that wasn't the case gives me some hope that struggles I write about now will also someday become unrelatable to me.

Throughout worm food, especially on songs like “Juno” and “Heart Attack,” you share some personal experiences of anxiety, self-doubt, and depression. Is vulnerability something that comes naturally to you and your writing process?

Yeah. Writing songs is my way of processing feelings and experiences that I feel stuck with. Creating a song out of something negative can help me make sense of it and maybe see it in a different light. For me, I can't see a world where I could possibly write a good song without being vulnerable.

I think “frog” might be one of the more playful, lighthearted tracks on the album. The music video does a great job expressing the aesthetic and creative direction of worm food with its dreamy, mossy, cottage-core vibes. What was it like seeing your music come to life visually?

Really cool !! "frog" was the first music video I've directed myself on a label budget. I've made lots of videos in the past but in a very DIY style, like my Youtube videos and more recently the "Idea of Her" music video. I always have so much fun having so much creative control so it was really exciting to have so much more possibilities with a larger budget and crew to help make my ideas come to life for "frog!!"

 And the album is stacked with collaborations, including beabadoobee. I feel like Beatopia and worm food live in the same cinematic universe and “fall in love with a girl” is such a cool crossover to hear. How did the two of you find the creation process?

It felt really fun and casual! We were already friends before I asked if she'd like to work on the song with me, and I definitely find it easier working on music with people I'm already chill with since my music can be so vulnerable. We just hung out at my house and tracked some vocals and synths, and I made her and Jacob tea and just had a nice evening together. That's the best way to do it.

You’re currently on tour, are there any songs from worm food that you’re excited to perform live?

We've already been playing “frog” live which is always a lot of fun. The kids love frogs so any excuse for them to bring a frog hat or plushie is exciting for them I think. I've been playing the froggy synth solo live so that's also fun for me getting to play a new instrument. Other than "frog," I'm just excited to add new songs to the setlist! Playing the same old stuff can get a bit boring and uninspiring after a while so it'll be cool to freshen things up with the new tunes. I've written some parts in the new songs with my bandmates in mind too and I'm really excited to see them shred for me.

Leading up to the release of worm food, what has been your most memorable moment?

I love playing new mixes to my friends and family and getting their reactions. One reaction in particular which was really special was when I played "a kind thing to do" to my girlfriend for the first time. We both grew up listening to Pierce the Veil, and I hadn't told her yet that Vic had a verse on the track. My heart was racing as the song reached his verse, and as soon as he started singing she FLIPPED OUT!! She just held my face and stared at me in shock for the rest of the song, and afterwards we were both just laughing and hugging each other in excitement :,)

Outside of music, what is inspiring you right now?

My band inspires me a lot on tour. They're such lovely boys and work so hard for little old me. I love them to death.

And lastly, who are your Ones to Watch?

Every month I make a new playlist on Spotify of songs I've come across from my Discover Weekly. A few new ones I've been enjoying include Orion Sun—particularly “intro” and “dirty dancer.” chloe moriondo is on there too of course. Her new album absolutely slaps—my favourite is “Plastic Purse.” My drummer Willoughby Morse released a lovely new track recently called “sisters only lvr.” And also I've gotten really into underscores, my favourite track of hers being “Del mar county fair 2008” (which I may or may not have made a cover of which I'll release soon...). Her production is super sick and inspired me in the late stages of mixing worm food.

Cavetown's worm food is available now.