Boulder, being a college town, is full of music. If you’re looking for a sense of community, the local music scene is a solid place to start. Our search for that feeling of community led us to shows and interviews with three local acts: Gaunt, Aratik, and Deaf Chameleons. We hit the venues, blasted our eardrums, and got a super intimate look at how these musicians operate. Fellow music-crazed staff writer Bodhi Garcia also dug into their released music, so between live shows and headphone listens, we tried to capture the energy of Boulder’s underground. We hope that our enthusiasm for this topic shines through in our article.
Aratik is a mostly female punk band with roots in Denver, but they’re basically regulars on Boulder’s punk circuit. The drummer, Jasper, an absolute madlad and I quote “an acclaimed feminist,” is the only guy in the lineup. Clara, the lead guitarist, is well aware of the current state of the world and, like any good punk, wants people to be mad about it. We loved that she articulated how punk incites change in a practical sense. A community united by shared anger and love for music inspires people to care and take action, making them capable of changing the world.
Live, Aratik is loud in the best way. Clara shreds, Jasper hits like he’s mad at the kit, and we probably picked up permanent hearing damage standing by the speakers during their cover of MCR’s “Ghost of You.” Their track ‘Velveteen’, in contrast, is more melodic, atmospheric, and layered. It reveals their strong potential to blend vibrant instruments with amazing songwriting. The production is clean and careful; there’s room for both spaciousness and variety. It lets the listener sink into its layers without feeling overwhelmed by the complexity that is secretly there. The lyrical delivery is intimate, which hints at a story tucked inside the song.
They blend mood and tone well. That said, because they don’t have a large catalog readily visible (at least from what I found), it’s hard to judge their consistency or growth yet. As a single offering, though, it’s incredibly impressive, especially for fans of ambient indie, who value texture and feeling over hooks.
If you’re just getting into the scene, Jasper’s advice is simple: “Practice the hell out of your instrument, go to shows, and the rest will fall into place.”
As aspiring vocalists, we couldn’t help but look up to Coltrain, Gaunt’s lead singer. He told us, “My goal was always: be the guy who starts the pit. If the crowd is dead, I’m gonna start a mosh.” He wasn’t kidding. Their pits are chaos, the best kind. Coltrain’s beastly stage presence makes the band stand out. Their lyrics are provocative and painful, inspired by the experiences band members and friends have gone through. It’s heavy, but it’s real.
Gaunt’s debut EP ‘Love Bite’ is four tracks of straight aggression. The production is straightforward, the riffs are aggressive, and there’s a sense that the band is staking out their sound without excessive layering, which a lot of new bands fall for when they try to stick out with rough experimental music and not focus on polishing. Gaunt does the exact opposite. While the EP left me wanting a little bit more variety or depth, it succeeded at its main goal: A tight, hard-edged burst that makes a strong first impression.
‘Burner’ opens the EP with a short, explosive burst. The track feels like it’s designed to grab attention: driving riffs, aggressive vocals, minimal fluff. ‘Blow Ur Lungs Out’ keeps up the speed but leans harder into a punishing edge. It’s the kind of track that emphasizes rhythm and aggression rather than melody.
‘Heartless’brings a hint of variation: some more dynamics and a change in pacing that gives breathing room between the heavier segments. Lastly, ‘Pyrethrin,’ the longest track on the EP, creates enough room for a longer build-up that serves as a type of interlude that I really enjoyed, maybe with more layered instrumentation or texture.
He also lives up to his claims of starting mosh pits, and they are some of the most memorable I’ve been in. The funniest part? Offstage, they’re some of the nicest people you’ll meet, which makes the contrast with their gnarly lyrics even sharper.
Unlike the other two, Deaf Chameleons is basically a one-woman project. MJ, the artist behind it, calls it “solo… hypothetically, technically,” but she’s always down to collaborate. We met her after a punk show on CU’s campus, and she straight-up serenaded us with a folk song that nearly had us crying. She’s got this calm vibe: the kind of person you want to just sit in silence with, but when she plays, it’s clear her life revolves around music. We talked about the experimental and shoegaze bands like Lowercase, MBV, LSD, and the search for god. Her Texan accent came out in the way she talked, kind of like a King of the Hill character (if you’re reading this, it’s charming) and rolled R’s that weren’t there.
MJ was born to do music, and I could tell her life revolves around it, making me inspired to pursue my passions further. She has a guitar from her late grandpa signed by Jeff Beck (who is apparently “the greatest fricking guitarist ever”).
Deaf Chameleons blend alt textures with emotional undertones, creating a soothing sound while also keeping the listener grounded. Their track ‘Fall Down’ reveals a vocalist who’s comfortable singing to layers of reverb guitars and a grounded production. This is the sort of mix that lets the listener drift into the space of the track without losing the core melody.
What they seem to do especially well is evoke emotional reactions like sadness or longing, without being overly dramatic. The instruments support rather than overwhelm the lyrics. On the downside, because much of the sound leans toward atmosphere, there are moments where pacing feels slow, or where songs might blend together for listeners wanting sharper contrast or stronger hooks. As they grow, adding more variety (like including more aggression) could help them stand out more distinctly. Also, admit it, Deaf Chameleons is a dope band name.
The local scene is thriving, and bands like Aratik, Gaunt, and Deaf Chameleons are proving Boulder has more to offer than just college cover bands. Whether it’s pits, politics, or shoegaze sadness, the music here has community at its core, and if our ears are still ringing, that just means we were listening right.
