Melkbelly, a Chicago four-piece forged in the depths of the city’s DIY underground, are about as noisy and raw and contagious as they come. What started in 2014 as a melding of creative minds eventually led to the band’s expansion of sound in 2016, as they tested the waters with new material. And early this year, after recording with Dave Vettraino at Chicago’s Public House, Melkbelly put the finishing touches on their debut album Nothing Valley, which drops October 13th on Wax Nine Records. Listen to their first single, “Kid Kreative”, and watch the video, directed and edited by Marty Schousboe.

“Kid Kreative is about creating a unique aesthetic in art or music only to have it hijacked and manhandled by someone else who reaps the rewards,” explains vocalist/guitarist Miranda Winters. “It was inspired by existing as a woman in the predominately male space of loud-music where it’s easy to be both looked over and ‘borrowed’ from.”

The album, inspired by a West Coast tour and the band’s shared experiences on the road, was tracked to 8-track analog tape, and reveals a collection of organized noise, thoughtful freneticism, and the expressions of a loud ass band ready to take on the world. So listen up. —Maya Eslami