B-Side Guys

When genres collide, the crash site often yields more wreckage than revelation. But on “somewhere in ohio…,” Will Cherry, Lukey, and a.m. the queen discover something profound in the space between folk confession and R&B confession booth. Their collaboration transforms hometown nostalgia into something more intimate – a love song where the lover just happens to be a place.

The production walks a delicate tightrope between earthiness and ethereality, with acoustic elements grounding the track while atmospheric R&B textures create a dreamy distance that mirrors the song’s emotional geography. The Frank Ocean influence reveals itself not in imitation, but in the way space becomes an instrument unto itself, each pause carrying as much weight as the notes that surround it.

Lines like “Are you afraid of home?/Or the unknown?” cut straight to the heart of the exile’s dilemma, turning what could be simple homesickness into an exploration of identity and growth. The metaphorical framing of place as lover gives these questions added resonance, particularly when Cherry asks “You better hit me, when you’re back in town/’Cause you know things just ain’t the same/Without you around.”

The arrangement demonstrates remarkable restraint, allowing the vocal interplay between the three artists to create texture rather than relying on overcrowded production. This approach brings to mind Bon Iver’s more minimal moments, though filtered through a distinctly Midwestern R&B lens that feels both fresh and familiar.

What’s particularly striking is how the track manages to be both deeply personal and universally resonant. The acknowledgment that this story exists “all over America” transforms individual experience into collective memory without losing its intimate core. It’s a difficult balance that these artists achieve with remarkable grace.

The bridge section opens up like a sudden view of open highway, with harmonies spreading wide across the stereo field. This sonic expansion mirrors the emotional territory being explored, suggesting that sometimes we need distance to understand what home means.

In its quieter moments, “somewhere in ohio…” reveals its folk roots most clearly, with acoustic guitar work that grounds the more experimental R&B elements. This foundation allows the track to venture into more adventurous territory without losing its way – much like leaving home while keeping one foot planted in familiar soil.

The production makes expert use of vocal layering, creating a conversation not just between singer and hometown, but between different versions of self. When the harmonies interweave on the repeated “somewhere, somewhere, somewhere,” it evokes the way memory can echo and refract across time and distance.

“somewhere in ohio…” accomplishes something rare in contemporary music – it makes the specific feel universal while keeping the personal stakes intact. Through their genre-blending alchemy, Cherry, Lukey, and a.m. the queen have created an emotional map where everyone can find their own way home.