Written by: Jen Dan

Long-running NJ-based band Miss Ohio crafts classic American indie rock/alternative country tunes and has been doing so for over 15 years. While the band members may not have gotten the notice that Wilco or The Replacements have, they travel through similar musical territory.

Miss Ohio released a compilation album titled White Hot: The Best of Miss Ohio early last year on Pyrrhic Victory Recordings. It’s been a lengthy and under the radar journey for the band and the retrospective captures this in all its unassuming, but captivating glory. This is not, however, the bittersweet end of the road for the band. In fact, Miss Ohio is re-energized, now working as a five-piece, and is currently writing and recording new material.

“Magnet”, the third track off of White Hot, showcases the band’s gentle, country-leaning side. It ripples with mellifluous finger-picked guitar lines, a softly ticking beat, and the introduction of at least one more guitar, building up a bright pattern that provides a sonic buoy for the vocalist’s lost and despondent tone.

His heathery, worn voice (that sounds like a cross between Mark Kozelek and J. Mascis) is filled with yearning and regret, staying in a lower key even as the instrumentation sparks near song’s end. “Magnet” is a subtly radiant downer that proves that Miss Ohio ranks among the best American indie rock bands.

Find out more about Miss Ohio

https://www.facebook.com/missohioband/

https://missohio.bandcamp.com/