Coming off the release of November 2022’s Worm Food full-length, Robin Skinner’s Cavetown project continues to make strides in blending bedroom-scaled experiments with the clear influence of indie-folk and light electronica as the dividing lines between pop, rock, and hip-hop continue to crumble around him. At five tracks, his new EP little vice is a solid reflection of his progress in honing that vision over the past couple years as we anticipate the next chapter of Cavetown, with each song demanding repeated listened due to their densely packed layers of genre ideas packaged in a way that’s subtle enough to be easily overlooked upon first hearing them.
Lyrically, the collection finds Skinner working through conflicting feelings on tracks such as “alone” and “obvious,” which both see him struggling with how to embrace human connection over the years. These songs culminate in Cavetown’s recently revived collaboration with former tourmate Field Medic, a breezy, nearly hypnotic duet that anchors the previously unmoored emotions as it blossoms into warmly comforting baroque pop.
With the full EP out today via Warner and Sire Records, stream it below and read on for Skinner’s take on all five recordings.
1. “let them know they’re on your mind”
I try to tell the people I love when I’m thinking of them—unapologetically, without an expectation of reciprocation. It could save someone’s day, or even their life. You never know when someone needs to hear that.
2. “alone”
I struggled with connecting to other kids in school. I never felt secure in my attachments—I pushed people away, and told myself I was happiest when I kept to myself. But then my life changed. I found real friends I want to keep. This song is about that internal conflict, and realizing that maybe I never actually wanted to be alone.
3. “obvious”
Sometimes you just want your pain to be noticed without having to say anything. Is it obvious when I’ve been struggling? This song is about the conflicting feeling of wanting to be both remembered and forgotten
4. “the back of the moon”
This song is inspired by the (unreleased) video game Way to the Woods, which follows a mother deer and her baby as they explore a post-apocalyptic cityscape. I wanted to write a lullaby from the doe’s perspective—she wants to prepare her baby to survive on her own someday. The game features some beautiful glowy imagery, which through the eyes of a child might look like magic despite being surrounded by the remnants of an abandoned planet. The doe hopes that the beauty in the chaos will remind her baby of her mother’s love and guidance after she’s gone.
5. “Glacier Meadow”
Kevin [Field Medic] is my friend. We wrote this song many years ago on tour together, long before the pandemic. It was lost to time in those tough years, but Kevin recently found it. It’s finally being unveiled at just the right time. The dust is clearing and we can all finally see the “Glacier Meadow” together.
