Active for a short time in the 1990s, Portland, Oregon-based band Heatmiser is best remembered as the group Elliott Smith broke camp with to focus on his solo career, but in a relatively brief time span they released three studio albums and multiple EPs. Their tension-heavy indie rock was defined by the contrast and clashes between Smith's melodic sensibilities and bandmate Neil Gust's darker, harsher songwriting tendencies. While Smith's success as a solo artist often gets the most airtime, other members of the group went on to have successful music careers long after Heatmiser's demise as well. Even 30 years after they issued their 1993 debut album, Dead Air, interest and curiosity surrounding the band was strong enough to merit the release of the 2023 archival compilation The Music of Heatmiser.