On March 17th, English Indie Rock Artist, Robin, better known as Cavetown, released his first EP of the new year titled SONGS I LIKE IN 2025. Over the last few years, EPs and singles have been Cavetowns main outlet for new music, choosing to focus on creating small experimental bodies of work rather than one main concept album. He’s dropped live releases, a 9-track EP titled little vice, which focused on creating a blend of electronic and indie elements, and even a Lofi album that reimagined some of Cavetowns hit songs.
SONGS I LIKE IN 2025 takes a different route, straying away from original songs and instead releasing a small collection of covers. As Cavetown’s career started back on YouTube roughly 10 years ago with covers, this EP does not only pay homage to the artists that Robin is inspired by now but also those who helped him grow as a musician. This statement is emphasized by Robin's own comment he released on Instagram alongside the EP:
“owe so much to the artists i've covered throughout my career. my covers have in some way or another brought me closer to musicians i look up to and their wonderful fanbases. i dont think i'd have the platform i have today without the support i've received for my covers from the beginning and i'll never take that for granted !! here are 5 songs i've loved this year which i couldn't get out of my head until i'd tracked my own version. i really hope i've done them all justice and that you guys enjoy them :))”
The first track off the ep is a cover of Mitskis ‘my love mine all mine’ from her 2023 album The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We. This was the first cover Cavetown chose to release, dropping it in late June of 2024 while on Tour with Mother Mother. The cover follows the slow behaviour of Mitski’s initial track, leaving the lyrics unaltered and keeping a similar beat. Yet, Cavetown doesn’t simply regergitate the original ‘my love mine all mine’ back to listeners, choosing to pair the acoustics with a soft electric riff during the instrumental break, adding something new to the listening experience.
The release of ‘my love mine all mine’ set the tone for the future of Cavetown and the existence of the SONGS I LIKE IN 2025 EP. Robin announced that he would be moving back towards using “Bandcamp” frequently, uploading the cover there alongside regular streaming services. To accompany the shift back to the program, the EP cover reflects the Bandcamp Website layout if you were to have the album open. It’s a unique touch, and not one I’ve seen before. It’s also a small design choice that relates back to the idea of Robin returning to his musical roots, showing off one of the first platforms he released music on.
[ EP Cover ]
Following ‘my love mine all mine’ is a cover of Rosalía’s ‘hentai’. Cavetown turns this soft piano ballad and spins it into this dreamy shoegaze track that is led nearly entirely by electric guitar. However, within the last 40 seconds of the track, Cavetown’s ‘hentai’ bursts into this digital whirlpool of synths and sounds, completely engulphing you in this vibrant spiral. It’s a spin on how Rosalía’s pattering deep synths featured within the last chunk of her track. Cavetown’s however feels far more vibrant, as if you can see these golden yellows and electric blues swirling together as the song works it’s way to a close.
As ‘hentai’ is predominatnly in Spanish, fans were curious if Robin took the time to learn the language for this track. He anwered this question on his Instagram story, saying this: “i really studied rosalía's vocal delivery and tried my best to get the pronunciation as close to it as i could. i just hope sounds coherent to spanish speakers !!”.
The third track on the EP is ‘remember you’ off the Adventure Time Soundtrack by Rebecca Sugar. This is not the first time that Cavetown has covered this track, with multiple fans having heard his rendition live in 2021, 2022, and 2024. Rather than leaning into the sounds of the omnichord, brash drums, and confused vocals, Cavetown draws on the rich and buried emotional underlayer of ‘remember me’. It comes across as solemn with a low bass and only quiet sparks of synths being placed throughout. Robins vocal performance is light, and relaxing, but still desperate in a way, conveying this new vulnerability to the lyrics that the original track does not carry.
Cavetown follows this with a rendition of Pierce The Veil’s ‘im low on gas and you need a jacket’. This song was one of the first Cavetown ever covered 10 years ago, being a track that has held a number of different meanings for Robin over the years. In the present day, Vic Fuentes of Pierce the Veil and Robin have worked together on multiple occasions, from live performances to Fuentes being featured on Cavetowns ‘a kind thing to do’ back in 2022. In 2025, Pierce the Veil is bringing on Cavetown as an opener for the Europe and UK dates of their ‘I CANT HEAR YOU’ World Tour.
The ‘im low on gas and you need a jacket’ cover feels as if it could have come straight off the worm food album or little vice EP. The production alone stands out compared to the rest of the project, having the completed sonic experience of multiple steady drum beats, various guitar riffs, and a mix of ambient synths and electric backing sounds to fully create an immersive experience. There is nothing hollow, nothing missing, you’re engaged with the music the entire time, even if you do not necessarily notice it. Although Cavetowns rendition is far less screamo than what Pierce The Veil does, the soft rock that eventually transitions into this electric rock suits the Cavetown sound. In a way, the cover feels nostalgic, as if you can remember the lyrics to your favourite song, yet not be able to place the melody, creating a new one in its place.
To end off the EP is a cover of Bon Iver’s ‘flume’. Immediately, Cavetown’s rendition matches the detached and hollow feeling of Bon Iver. However, Bon Iver tends to lean lower with every element of the track, creating this grounded atmosphere of laying on the floor while with Cavetown you feel up in the air, or at least have your feet slightly off the ground. Cavetown uses a lighter acoustic guitar, higher background vocals, and possibly a clunky kalimba to create the musical foundation. The last chunk of the track feels transcendent in a way, with Robin pulling the EP to a close with bouncing orbital synths and inflated vocals leaving the impression that the listener has risen beyond their physical form.
For such a small EP, Cavetown has captured not only the original essence of all these tracks, but has given a beautiful rendition of everyone, truly showing the amount of admiration and care he has towards these tracks. If you have 15 minutes to spare, whether it be making your morning coffee or taking a walk under the spring sun, I would completely recommend listening to this extended play as you did so.
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