Cavetown has long hidden behind the use of upbeat, soft strumming guitar and ukulele; Things That Make it Warm is no exception to the continuous flow of similar-sounding songs.

Cavetown has long been one of my favorite artists; in fact, I’ve spent many nights tirelessly at work, toying with the chords of songs such as Fool or Lemon Boy. Although these songs are some of the artists’ most popular, they fall into the same rhythm and category as Things That Make it Warm.

The track starts out, of course, akin to any of their other music; I am greeted by the cheerful strum of a happy guitar. Although the positive vibe of the strings is attuned to the cozy and comforting feelings brought on by the lyrics, I lost interest already in the first 10 seconds of the song.

The lyrics are relatable, the tune is good, but the story is the same.

“You and me, we can make this hole a home. We can fill it up with grass and all the things that make it warm.” 

This isn’t the first time that Cavetown has referenced nature in his music; actually, the artist even has an entire series of singles called Animal Kingdom. Although I do realize this is Cavetown’s style, the analogies are used in almost every single piece they have produced. 

In a normal situation, I would be fine with the fact that Cavetown had this type of vibe. The artist has shown in singles such as Home—where he combined elements of a less rushed and more negative strumming with the use of ghostly violin, intricate drum work, and gospel-like vocals—as well as Everything is Temporary—which has a more mysterious and spacey storyline—that he can produce songs without a hint of guitar or utilization of a ukulele. In fact, his album Cavetown (produced in 2015) has many tracks on the other side of the spectrum of his familiar sound.

So why does he choose this particular style?

Maybe it’s because the artist often hides a deeper, more anxious and depressed meaning behind his elated instrumentals and peaceful voice.

“My feathers seem to have taken the brunt of the storm, they are feeling pretty warm. We have finally found shelter tucked away inside a wall; though, for now, it’s pretty small.”

It took me a few tries to fully understand these lyrics—their meaning was confused, shrouded by the upbeat strumming playing over the words. Some of what we are most proud of is belittled and broken by others; there is little escape from this reality for it is only, naturally, how life goes. No matter how hard we try, we are never fully capable of shielding ourselves or those that we care for most from the dangerous toxicity of certain individuals we cross paths with in life.

And although this is the negative actuality of many situations, we can still turn things around by turning “this hole into a home” and filling it “with all the things that make it warm.”