‘I’ve always felt so welcomed and at home with everyone who comes to see my shows here, so I’m really glad they get to be some of the first people I get to play my new songs for’
While in Sydney on tour, UK singer-songwriter Cavetown – aka Robin Skinner – sat down with us to chat about life, music, and growing up in public.
Between shows, he explored the city (yes, he hit the Sydney Opera House) and even tried Vegemite on toast for breakfast, a proper UK-to-Aussie crossover moment.
He opened up about the personal growth behind his latest songs, how his relationship has shifted his perspective, and why collaborating with new artists pushed his music in exciting directions.
Cavetown also touched on his long-running This Is Home Project, supporting LGBTQ+ youth with housing, mental health, and creative programs, showing that care and community remain central to his work.
Scroll down for our chat with Cavetown, about the people, places, and experiences that continue to shape both his music and the person he’s becoming.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
CAVETOWN: I’m playing at Laneway festival in Adelaide and then flying to Perth!
HAPPY: You’ve almost wrapped up your Australian tour. How did it feel returning to play for fans here after so long?
CAVETOWN: I was actually only over here a year ago and this is now my third time down under!!
It feels like Australia and New Zealand have become more of a familiar destination, so it’s been great to revisit some spots I had saved and to tick some new adventures off the list too.
I’ve always felt so welcomed and at home with everyone who comes to see my shows here, so I’m really glad they get to be some of the first people I get to play my new songs for.
The response has been amazing – So much excitement and so many people know my new lyrics already.
HAPPY: Did you get a chance to check out the local music scene while you were in Australia? Any hidden gems you loved?
CAVETOWN: Not really, but I went to see a show at the Sydney Opera House for the first time! Not a hidden gem in the slightest. A very big and famous gem.
HAPPY: Did you get a chance to explore Aussie food? Vegemite toast: yes or no?
CAVETOWN: As someone born in the UK absolutely yes. I like Marmite which is a very similar product in the UK, so Vegemite lands for me too.
I had it for breakfast this morning actually with my poached eggs on toast. Surprisingly yummy.
HAPPY: RWS feels like a leap into adulthood. How did the past two years of personal growth shape this record?
CAVETOWN: So much has happened to me over the course of working on this album.
At the center of it all is my girlfriend, who I’ve now been with for 4 years (and I believe I’ll be with for the rest of my life).
Being loved my someone like her has rewired my brain in ways I never thought could existed.
She’s nurtured so much confidence and strength in me. I walk through the world differently because of her, with more patience, more depth.
I have a new voice in my head asking “What would she do?” “How would she deal with this situation?” “How would she want me to care for myself right now?”
The world through her eyes is one I’m excited to be a part of, which is new for me.
HAPPY: You brought collaborators like Chloe Moriondo and Underscores into the creative process for the first time. How did that change the sound or energy of the album?
CAVETOWN: I’ve historically felt resistant to collaborations in my music, but with a newfound drive for a change in my music I decided to challenge my usual routine.
I’ve worked with Chloe many times before. She’s an incredible artist but most of all a super fun friend who brings out some great silliness and creativity in me, so it felt really natural to work with her on Sailboat.
Underscores is hyperpop legend whose songwriting and production really blows my mind.
The whole project is heavily hyperpop inspired so it was a real honour to have April add some of her math-rock glitter to a track.
I also worked with a handful of producers for the first time.
I got to learn a lot from them and share ideas without feeling disconnected from my music, something I’ve had anxieties about in collaborations with new people.
It surprised me to discover I could teach them some things too.
I think that working with so many extra brains made RWS the maximalist adventurous chaos that it was meant to be.
HAPPY: You explore care, masculinity, and family. Did writing this album feel like a form of reparenting yourself?
CAVETOWN: I don’t know if ‘reparenting’ feels like the right word, but I think growing up is just kind of taking over where your parents left off.
The world is changing in terrifying ways and everyone has had to find ways to care for themselves amongst the chaos and uncertainty.
Music has always been a therapeutic practice for me which allows buried feelings to the surface, and this project has been no different.
But the circumstances are quite different.
Learning about myself and the world through the new lens of my partner, alongside having to process the realisation of a deeper evil in our governments than I ever realised possible… it’s a lot.
But I think it has made my brain and sense of self stronger than ever.
This world is something no ones parents could’ve really prepared us for.
HAPPY: You’ve been a champion for LGBTQ+ youth through TIHP. How does advocacy inform your songwriting today?
CAVETOWN: It took a long time for me to feel comfortable being completely open about my identity with the world, but at this point I just don’t care.
Observing the way that my community is being victimized with ever-increasing severity has pushed my ego down entirely to leave only one sentiment: Queer people exist and I am one of them.
Advocacy for my community is advocacy for myself too, so it doesnt really feel like a “champion” gesture.
It’s my real lived experience and one so many people have to endure and find joy amongst.
HAPPY: Your live shows have always been intimate. How did it feel bringing RWS to Australia after such a long personal journey?
CAVETOWN: One of my favourite things about our live set has been getting to lean into more rock elements than there are in my recorded music!!
It feels really special to give the songs a new feeling for the live audience. I wrote a lot of these new songs with that live energy in mind and I’ve been really happy with the reception!!
I really feed off the audience during our set, so when they lean into the energy of the new songs with me it makes everything I dreamed of over these last 3 years come together.
HAPPY: RWS closes the album with a sense of risk and forward motion. Do you see adulthood as chaotic but exciting, or mostly terrifying?
CAVETOWN: Mostly terrifying!!! I think I’m just trying to reframe the feeling of terror for myself though.
When you break it down to its bones, anxiety and fear feels the same as positive excitement.
It’s the thoughts behind the feeling that decide how you experience the moment.
In a world where everything is quite frightening and upsetting, reframing your mind to experience joy and optimism is an act of resistance in itself.
But the elephant is certainly in the room. It just really puts my small anxieties into perspective.
Feeling terrified to talk to new people or play a show can be rechannelled into positive anticipation, and I can save my real fear for the darker stuff.
HAPPY: You’ve grown up alongside your fans over the years. What do you hope listeners take away from this new chapter of your music and life?
CAVETOWN: I always just hope people find something they need from the music, whether thats a message that hits home or just a catchy tune to dance to and get lost in the moment.
I’m really proud of the production on this record, so I do hope that is exciting and inspiring for other musicians too.
HAPPY: What makes you happy?
CAVETOWN: My friends, my partner, my little sister, my cat, animals, nature, drawing …. simple things that are always mine no matter what happens :)
Check out RWS here.
