Since it is October, it is only right to start off this column with the scariest state of all: Ohio. It seems like such a vast and empty state, but in reality, it is one of the most populated states in the US. What happens in Ohio? Who lives there? I don’t think anyone really knows. I’ve been to Ohio a fair amount of times and I still have no answers.  If you are one of the 114 students from Ohio, please let me know. I would love to hear from you. While Ohio’s identity remains murky, its music scene has never been stronger. Home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ohio is full of amazing bands waiting to be discovered.

The Ohio aesthetic is full of abandoned shopping malls, empty stretches of road surrounded by corn and liminal spaces where time trips over itself and never just passes by. In honor of Ohio and October, here is my playlist for this month.

Under Mountain, Under Ground

The Lighthouse and the Whaler

The Lighthouse and the Whaler is an indie/rock band based in Cleveland that have been gaining momentum since their first album was released in 2012. This song is the perfect song for fall and touches on lost love through a strong melody and frequent guitar riffs. It is the perfect song for a long drive through empty fields and for studying on a rainy day in October.

Ohio

The Black Keys

The next band needs no introduction, except for maybe to say that they are from Akron. The Black Keys have cemented themselves in music history with songs like “Gold on the Ceiling” and “Little Black Submarine,” but “Ohio” is also a stellar listen that should not be ignored. It is the only song in this playlist that is explicitly about the state of Ohio, and it is an ode to the state that is about homesickness and loneliness in unfamiliar places.

Dance the Other Side

Old Hundred

Old Hundred takes the focus off of the farmland of Ohio and instead pays homage to Appalachian Ohio. Their folk tunes are overlaid with darker and grungier aesthetics. Old Hundred is based in Columbus Ohio but frequently travels to rural eastern Ohio in order to record their music. “Dance the Other Side” is full of nostalgia of lives not lived as well as old memories, and it elicits early foggy mornings and cozying up in a cabin with a cup of coffee.

As well as these songs, there are plenty of honorable mentions. Check them out in the playlist and embrace the spooky, empty vibes of Ohio.