Cavetown has kept up with their usual theme of soft music with sweeter themes. This time around, Cavetown has kept its theme of softer music but for a more urgent message. Their recent song release “Sharpener’s Calling Me Again” sits us down for a serious talk about self-hatred.
The song features an indie rock tone with mellow drums and guitar. Since the main focus is the lyrics of the song, the instrumental fits perfectly.
“Sharpener’s Calling Me Again” is Cavetown’s Robin Skinner recalling the times when self-hate can get the best of him in the form of self-harm. As Skinner sings about how a sharpener is just a sharpener to us, the sharpener to him signifies blades that would aid him in his act of self-harm.
In the first verse of the song, it can be described as a one-man battle. Skinner sings about how he gets the urge to self-harm again by saying the “sharpener’s calling me again.” This quickly shifts to him trying to talk himself out of the act by pushing himself to create music, instead of something that he wishes he “could get in the bath and scrub right off”.
In the chorus, he questions himself in a frustrated tone, wondering why is he ashamed to look the way he does. He speaks about how the sharpener blades are just a mere escape to him.
In the second verse, he goes more into depth about how he copes with the temptation of self-harm and how he continues to fall for the temptation every time. Skinner sings about taking his medication for his mental illnesses and swallowing down the harmful temptation is hard to “inch around.”
Vice-versa from verse one, verse two shifts from helpful to harmful. Skinner describes looking in the mirror in the aftermath of his self-harm, asking himself “What the hell have you just done?”. In the outro of the song, Skinner admits to having walls up for everyone except the darkest parts of himself.
In the last line of the song, Skinner speaks about wanting company but breaking the sharpener in two. Since the only one he lets in is the dark side of himself, he breaks the sharpener into two; one side for his dark side and one for the light. Self-harm has taken up his life to the point it crushes him as a whole.
Cavetown has opened up to his audience about how self-harm has affected his life and how it can take every part of your being. Cavetown shares his story, so others can learn from his mistakes.
I personally feel heartbroken for what Skinner has been through. Many people including myself have gone through tough times where we just want to escape in any way possible. I find Skinner’s bravery to share his intimate story admirable and inspiring. This song would be great to listen to on a low day when you need some sympathy and confirmation that you are not alone. I rate this song a solid 10/10.
