Photo courtesy of Zoe Donahoe

Singer-songwriter Eliza McLamb performs in St. Louis on Friday, Nov. 14, to headline WashU student radio station KWUR’s Fall Show in the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill. McLamb released her second album, “Good Story,” on Oct. 24 and plans to perform songs from this latest release. 

McLamb is an indie rock musician based in Brooklyn, New York, who released her debut album last year, “Going Through It.” She is also known for her assorted essays on Substack and as a former host of the culture podcast Binchtopia, which she recently stepped away from to further focus on her music. McLamb’s new album, “Good Story,” centers around memory and nostalgia, similar to her previous album. For McLamb, “Going Through It” served as a jumping-off point for her songwriting for the second album. 

“This record was born more from the question of ‘I did all that, and now what do I do going forward?’ Do I keep going back and [try] to mine the old stuff? Do I keep circling around this stuff that I feel like I figured out? What’s the use of my pain here? What’s the use of this story I’m telling myself?” McLamb said.

While in the past, McLamb and others have described her songwriting as therapeutic, she noted that she wants to move away from that label, feeling it detracts from the serious creative work she wants to accomplish. 

“It’s not that it’s not emotional at all, but I think ‘therapeutic’ takes it out of the context of serious creative work, and puts it more into this emotional category by itself,” McLamb said.

Instead, she believes the work she produces is through a “sound mind” and holds a lot of objective consideration for the artistic process of creating a cohesive piece. 

“There’s a lot of criticism, editing, and evaluating something more of like a separate object that is somewhat detached from the emotional nature of it,” McLamb said. 

McLamb moved from Los Angeles to Brooklyn last summer and has noticed how the move has affected her writing process and subject matter. 

She said, “I definitely think the biggest difference is that, in LA, I was so isolated, and so I was having a hard time, particularly at the end. And New York, I feel, just gave me a big boost of energy … There’s constantly people around outside. You’re always on public transit, in between people.  And I think that energy is really good for me. It’s really generative.”

Back in LA, McLamb would often record voice memos of song ideas while she was stuck on the highway, but now her replacement for the highway is underground on the subway. Instead of recording vocals while in transit, she has started to write lyrics first, through what she describes as long poems. In fact, she wrote the indie folk song “Talisman” entirely on the subway. 

On “Talisman,” she sings, “Going back again / Telling the old stories, looking out before me / The future’s always blurry.” This single lyric sums up the major themes on the album: time, storytelling, and memory. Other standouts on the album include the ode to LA “California,” contemplative banger “Good Story,” cathartic closer “Getting Free,” and punchy lead single “Like the Boys.” 

In its first week of release, “Good Story” became the most-added album in college radio music libraries on the North American College & Community Radio Chart, making McLamb a fitting choice for KWUR’s semesterly show.  

This is not the first or second time McLamb has visited the beautiful state of Missouri. After her tour stop in St. Louis last year, she claims that she had a warrant for an unpaid speeding ticket she had collected while driving through the state. 

When asked about what she wanted to do when she visits again, she said, “Not get another speeding ticket.” Regardless of her previous run-in with the law, she is looking forward to returning to Missouri to play for the KWUR Fall Show.

No stranger to playing college shows, McLamb appreciates students’ reactions during her sets. While she plans on mainly performing songs from her new record, she also wants to return to previous hits, such as the catchy “Glitter” from “Going Through It,” on which she sings “I wanna kill your boyfriend / He could never know you.” McLamb describes college as “peak watching your friend have a sh*tty boyfriend time” and has noticed college audiences react passionately when she sings the lyrics. 

Another aspect that McLamb loves is watching student bands perform before her own sets, and she plans to do the same this Friday. McLamb will be opened by student band Underpass and local duo Four Degrees Colder. 

Watch McLamb, Underpass, and Four Degrees Colder perform for free on Friday, Nov. 14, at the Duck Room in Blueberry Hill for KWUR’s Fall Show. Doors open at 7, with Underpass starting at 7:30, so bring your WashU ID and leave behind your sh*tty boyfriend.