Rob Cantor has opened a new chapter for his solo work this year with a deluxe physical run of Not a Trampoline. The record, which started life as a Bandcamp release, now has vinyl and CD options and a deluxe package aimed at collectors and longtime fans.
The album stood well as a tidy set of songs leaning on strong melodies and tight arrangements, making the move to a proper vinyl pressing feel overdue. Nevertheless, it has finally arrived as a marketed "11th and 3 quarters" anniversary edition.
If you didn't follow the album when it came out, Not a Trampoline was first announced on March 4th, 2014, alongside the single "Old Bike" and its music video. Following it were "Ghost" on the 19th and "All I Need Is You" on April 9th, the latter also with a video. The album was released on April 14th.
Looking back at the original Rob Cantor cult-classic
Besides the peppy "Garden of Eden," the album has a bit of a slow start, with the standard soft rock not having any brilliance. Cantor brings out his creative songwriting for the rest though with rich production, such as the jazzy salsa "Flamingo" and heartfelt ballads like "All I Need Is You" and "Perfect."
"I'm Gonna Win" stands out as a heavy guitar-oriented track offset by plucky orchestral sections, penned with former bandmate Joe Hawley from an old Tally Hall demo. Deservingly, it's become the album's big hit with over 25 million streams across Spotify and YouTube. Overall, the album's a solid 7/10.
Since Not a Trampoline, Rob Cantor's been quiet on his solo work, often seen soundtracking Disney Junior shows. The silence broke on October 30th, 2025, when he announced that physical editions of the album would become available for pre-order on November 14th with a new tracklist.
Alongside a CD option, Cantor released three colored vinyl variants, themed after chicken wings and the tracks "Old Bike" and "Flamingo." On top of this, the entire album has been remixed by Gregtronic and re-drummed by Ross Federman, another former bandmate.
Outside the album, his website has also turned into a labyrinth of hidden links and oddities from clicking the "Other" tab at the bottom of each page, such as GIFs of Rob eating different foods, strange, contextless images, sheet music, abandoned video drafts, and more.
By the 13th "Other" page you've reached, each click brings more unsettling and graphically bizarre amalgamations of the word until the 23rd and final click, which brings you to the dictionary definition of "other." A perfect example of the absurdity Cantor employs on parts of the album, such as an Alan Alda memoriam.
An imminent future of new content
Not a Trampoline was always a record that rewarded close listening. Putting it on vinyl gives the songs room to breathe and gives fans a physical artifact that matches the care in the arrangements, giving it a second life and a proper place on a shelf.
Things don't seem to be done, though, as earlier this year "Perfect" was performed live for the first time with Andrew Horowitz on piano. Furthermore, he's teased a second studio album that's on the way with more collaborations.