Six-time Platinum indie favourite Cavetown has unveiled a new single, Sailboat, a luminous collaboration with Chloe Moriondo that signals an emotionally open new chapter ahead of his forthcoming album Running With Scissors. Co-produced with Underscores, the track blends chiptune shimmer, warped hyperpop textures and Cavetown’s unmistakably intimate songwriting voice, capturing the nervous anticipation of new love and the quiet fear of leaving a mark on someone you care deeply about.
Released under Robin Skinner’s Cavetown moniker, Sailboat is built on friendship and vulnerability rather than grand gestures. It explores that fragile space where affection meets hesitation, when protecting someone can feel as powerful as the urge to connect. Moriondo’s warm vocal presence weaves naturally through Skinner’s reflective delivery, while Underscores’ adventurous production adds digital flicker and emotional tension without overwhelming the song’s gentle core.
Alongside the single, Cavetown has shared the official Sailboat video, a dreamlike visual set against the calm of a quiet beach. Co-starring Moriondo, the clip mirrors the emotional palette of the song, drifting between solitude and closeness as the pair mime guitar playing, trace the shoreline and tentatively step into the water. For long-time followers, the imagery marks a subtle but significant shift. Where earlier Cavetown releases often centred on isolation and the loneliness of growing up, here Skinner is seen allowing himself moments of joy, playfulness and connection, themes that run through the forthcoming album.
Running With Scissors, due for release on 16 January via Futures Music Group and Virgin Music Group, is positioned as Cavetown’s most expansive and personal project to date. The album dives into emotional stability, identity and the uneasy process of growing up, topics that have been threaded through Skinner’s work since his early Bandcamp releases as a teenager in Cambridge. From those formative bedroom recordings through to later albums like Lemon Boy, Sleepyhead and Worm Food, Cavetown has built a catalogue defined by honesty and a willingness to sit with discomfort.
That openness has resonated on a global scale. Cavetown now commands millions of monthly listeners, billions of streams and a devoted following across social platforms, becoming an anchor for a generation of fans who see their own experiences reflected in his music. Collaborations have increasingly played a role in that journey, with Moriondo a recurring creative ally across multiple projects, including Animal Kingdom and Worm Food. Sailboat continues that shared history, sounding less like a feature and more like a conversation between artists who understand each other instinctively.
Beyond the music, Skinner’s career has been marked by a strong sense of community responsibility. The release of Sailboat follows Cavetown’s Second Annual This Is Home Project Benefit Show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, an event supporting LGBTQ+ youth through housing initiatives, mental health resources and crisis support. The ongoing philanthropic project has raised close to $700,000 to date, reinforcing Skinner’s commitment to translating empathy into tangible action.
Australian audiences will soon be able to experience this new era firsthand. Cavetown is set to return to Australia in February 2026, appearing nationally as part of Laneway Festival and performing headline sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. The shows will offer local fans an early opportunity to hear material from Running With Scissors alongside the songs that have defined Cavetown’s rise from YouTube beginnings to one of indie music’s most trusted voices.
With Sailboat, Cavetown once again demonstrates his ability to transform vulnerability into connection. It is a delicate yet quietly daring release, one that embraces emotional risk without losing its sense of warmth, a fitting introduction to an album that promises growth, reflection and a gentler kind of confidence.
Cavetown Running With Scissors Tour
Wednesday 11 February – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Thursday 12 February – Palais Theatre, Melbourne
Tickets via Handsome Tours outlets.
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