We’re mighty chuffed to have had the opportunity to sit down and share a chat with Robin Skinner, AKA Cavetown – especially since we also consider ourselves pretty big fans of bugs and other tiny critters. With a career in music spanning over a decade (and counting) Cavetown has managed to publish five albums, three EPs and even has a brand new one, little vice, which you can have a listen to down below.

Cavetown was nice enough to tell us all about this new EP as well as the best and worst parts of achieving internet fame, so have a read so you can get to know the beloved bedroom pop muso and avid insect enthusiast.

Hiya Robin! What’s been your favourite thing about being in Australia, so far? I’ve been having so much fun! The last time I was in Australia was around 2019, just before the pandemic, so I’m glad to be back after such a long time. I’ve been exploring a lot of places, and I had probably the best beach day of my life in Melbourne a while back. The weather was so beautiful, I did such a good job with sunscreen, I dug a massive hole in the sand and I found so many cool shells! I had such a wonderful time; I was beaming by the end of it.

I’m also excited to go and visit the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, since the last time I had been there I got to meet a koala and kangaroos! I love seeing plants and animals, so very keen to see them all.

You’ve mentioned before that you’ve found inspiration in things from your childhood like Adventure Time and Minecraft. Why does nostalgia play such a key role in your songwriting? I don’t know, I think I just find it comforting to remember things and stuff in your core memories. I feel like your childhood doesn’t just end; it always comes back to you in different ways. I also like to link my past self to my current self, and writing nostalgic songs helps me do that.

You first found fame via Youtube, and your songs have gone viral on TikTok many times. What are the pros and cons of internet popularity? I like that things have gotten easier for artists to launch their careers and make some money off what they do. You can also be your own social media manager and really be in control of your own image. You can really put yourself out there by your own emission, and I like how artists have more control these days with the internet.

But at the same time, it’s still such a new technology and we’re still all making mistakes with it. I feel like it’s getting harder to post whatever I want now; even a small meme gives me anxiety because so many people are going to see it. It can be really overwhelming sometimes.

Do you think that the fast pace of the internet acts as a hindrance or a benefit? I love that there’s so many new musicians to listen to, and I love discovering new people on Spotify and stuff, so I find it inspiring to see this community of indie artists growing and growing. But I also feel like I’m very lucky to get into it when I did, because I feel like it’s so much bigger now and it’s becoming harder to get noticed. It just feels a bit more chaotic now.

Apart from music, do you have any other creative interests? Yeah, I love to draw and paint. I tend to get obsessed with something and then move on to a new thing, like a while ago I really loved stained glass and welding, then I did a bit sculpting until I returned back to drawing. I like to bring a sketchbook with me when I go on tour, and I still design my own merch and album covers. I love to create everything with my music, including the artwork, because it feels like a project for me to complete.

Talk to us about your new EP, little vice. My projects never really have a definite starting point; I’m just always writing. I built the instrumentation along as I wrote too, which I first began doing when I released worm food. I usually have a lot of other little projects going on at the same time, so I’m just constantly creating.

I recorded little vice at home in Cambridge, and I did everything else from start to finish there too. I love to really do everything myself, and I’m proud of the songs I’ve made since it feels like a closing chapter to how I’ve been making music for a long time.

What songs are you most excited to perform live? I’ve already been playing “let them know they’re on your mind”, which has been really fun to do since the audience seems to like it and it’s so surreal to start to hear them singing along. I’ve been practicing singing “alone” because it’s quite rhythmically challenging, so my band and I have been working hard to get it right. It’s just always so exciting to see the fans’ reaction to new songs, I love it!

What inspired the sound of little vice? Honestly, I’m not very good at listening to other music while I’m working, because my ears get tired! I have been trying to make music that sounds a bit more ‘sparkly’, and I’ve been venturing into the world of hyper-pop and making brain-tingly sounds. But more contextually, I’ve been inspired by my cat, my girlfriend and other cosy stuff.

What do you hope listeners will get out of this EP? I always hope that people get something they’re looking for, which is not up to me to decide. I always write stuff for me personally, and it makes me happy when other people can relate to it too. I just want people to listen to these songs and feel better.