For many people the idea of synth and punk don’t always go together but with Fort Collins band, Slow Caves, that is exactly what they have done. Composed of brothers, Jakob and Oliver Mueller, Jackson Lamperes, David Dugan, their recent release of their debut EP Slow Caves has earned them spots in CPR’s Open Air studio, the main stage of the 2015 Higher Ground Music Festival, and many other venues across the Denver-Metro area. Self described as the band children of The Strokes, Nirvana, and Skaters, Slow Caves’ music neatly accompanies the vintage skateboarding culture they are inspired by. Their songs “Saturns” and “One” plays well with the culture of jukeboxes, film cameras, and really fluffy hair. Then there’s their recent single, “Amelia” which starts with a dark church organ and then rolls into the semi-stressed, chorus. Touring alongside other Denver bands such as Modern Suspects, their sound has reached across much of the underground music state. The Howler got the opportunity to talk with the band and see what they’re all about.

Howler: What made you guys want to come together and start a band?

Slow Caves: We were all at Goodwill trying to find new VCR players because we had all just recently broken ours, and we were all fighting over the last one and a VHS copy of Spinal Tap. After deciding to split the purchase price band formation was inevitable.

Does the name Slow Caves have a special meaning?

Jackson and David were exploring a cave in South America and had an spiritual experience causing their minds to slowly cave in on themselves. The term Slow Caves was coined.

What is Synth Punk?

It’s where you play in a band where you get all your punk-rock band shirts from Target and Walmart and Kohl’s, so you are a synthetic punk.

What inspires the music writing process?

Blizzards, Dogs and Jakob’s white pants.

Do you have any plans to release a full album in 2015/16?

We are currently writing a ton of new songs and recording a lot of demos, so ya, Fo Show.

Is there a favorite instrument or technique Slow Caves uses to create their signature groove?

We imagine that our favorite band’s (The Strokes, Nirvana, Skaters) children have started bands together, and that’s what we try to sound like.

What do you think the best part of your music?

It sounds like a bunch of teenagers smashing through the window of a candy shop and eating all the candy.

Best and Worst venue/show you’ve played in, what made them stand out?

Best: We played a show at The White House, to be clear, not the President’s house but just some kid’s house party, and that was pretty great. Also, Bohemian Nights was awesome!

Worst: We played a sketchy bar (will remain nameless out of respect) in Denver on Jakob’s birthday, where we got to play for 15 minutes and there were people literally doing Heroin in the parking lot.

What is your favorite part of the Denver music scene?

Dave Pierpoint and Mark Hibl. Those dudes are awesome!

Where has Slow Caves had the most success?

I would say Denver, Fort Collins and Baltonia

How do you try to make yourselves known?

We skateboard around all the major towns in Colorado and put stickers up everywhere. And do a lot of social media photo stuff too.

How would you describe the members of the band? What kinda quirks do they have?

We have a lot of inside jokes with each other. No one can be serious for longer than like 5 minutes. Dave and Jackson like to wrestle way too much with each other, Jakob is super into bugs, and Oliver has a mustache.

What’s the ultimate goal for the band?

Have fun and shred.

Who is the coolest of the bunch?

This guy, Dan Bombard, filled in on bass for us a few times. He was by far the coolest member Slow Caves has ever had. The rest of us are all pretty dorky.

Does the band regularly host awesome pizza parties?

Yes, and we also host a lot of dog parties as well. Let us know if you wanna come to the next one. Also, let your dogs know.