Cavetown, the moniker of Robin Skinner, is a British singer-songwriter and LGBTQ+ icon, known for music that blends indie genres. The 23-year-old released his fourth album, ‘Sleepyhead’ at the start of 2021, with new single 'Grocery Store' being released on Spotify on July 15th of this year.
‘Grocery Store’, a rework of Skinner’s 2021 release ‘Trying Not To Cry’ with Italian producer Kina, takes a less produced, more chilled out approach to the song’s subject matter.
A very introspective song, ‘Grocery Store’ and its predecessor both deal with the effects that having mental health issues, particularly depression and self-doubt, can have on a person’s everyday life through that most mundane of activities, a trip to the grocery store.
Cavetown’s voice cracks as he sings about “shutting down / going standby / sleep mode, offline / feel nothing” and manages to make the song feel even more resonant in doing so, his signature humanity and relatability coming through as strong as ever. A long term advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans people and those on the aromantic and asexual spectrums, Skinner yearns to be heard, and seen, as he expertly conveys many experiences these groups (of which he is a part) face.
Evoking the soaring collaboration (‘Silk Chiffon') from MUNA and Phoebe Bridgers (and the work of each of their respective solo careers), Skinner shows a versatility of indie forms with the amazing contrast between the soft, slow verses and the peppy, bittersweet chorus of “I’ve been trying not to cry in the grocery store / little bully inside pinning me to the floor”.
The accompanying music video for ‘Grocery Store’ is a simple but effective mix of computer animation and shots of homemade paper props. Cavetown proves once again that he is the master of relatability through complicated mixtures and contrasts, lyrically, visually and sonically.
Finn O’Callaghan-Doyle
Image: blackksocks/Amir Hossain
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