Empty Kodiak is a seven-piece band from Cleveland, Ohio, weaving shoegaze haze with flashes of surf-pop light. Frontman and songwriter Chaz Stead leads vocals and rhythm guitar alongside Kennedy Stead (vocals/synth), Brandon Thompson (lead guitar), Dave Gorski (saxophone/vocals), DJ Douglas (keys/vocals), Jul Big Green (bass), and Devin Tudela (drums). Their influences—The Neighbourhood, Strand of Oaks, The War on Drugs, Bon Iver—surface in waves of reverb, smoky melodies, and lyrics that ache with rust-belt resilience.

The band’s name holds their ethos. In 2021 Chaz strapped into a plane called the Kodiak for a skydive he dreaded. He hated every second of free-fall, but the leap became a vow: fear will not be a barrier to music.

“Leave the Kodiak empty” became the band’s rallying cry—an invitation to risk everything and create without a net.

Empty Kodiak’s first release, the A/B single “Teeth / The Ghost,” arrived in 2021 and quickly caught the ear of essential indie playlists. Curators at AlexRainbird Music called it “amazing work and a great new discovery,” setting the stage for what’s next.