Watch Eliza McLamb at the Paste Magazine East Austin Block Party Presented by Ilegal Mezcal
A/V by Brad Wagner, Juan Soria and Masaya Tamegai
Coral Snake Austin’s inner stage was packed, the room buzzing with excitement on Friday afternoon as Eliza McLamb took the stage for our Paste recording sessions. Sharing a four-song set, two of which were off her debut album Going Through It. Released January 19th through Royal Mountain Records, and produced with Sarah Tudzin of illuminati Hotties at Bear Creek Studio in rural Washington, this album was “like an exorcism of sorts, which feels really good to have out in the world right now,” said McLamb in conversation with our Paste Session host Brad Wagner.
Full Session
“Glitter”
For her first song, McLamb and her band, consisting of Jacob Blizard on lead guitar, Addy Watkins on keys, Ryan Ficano on bass and Lawson Alderson on drums, played a stripped-back version of “Glitter” from Going Through It.
“Salt Circle”
McLamb has been praised for her work in other mediums, both her podcast Binchtopia and Substack being recognized for their well-written and well-researched takes. But it’s music that allows her to process her past and emotional reality the most effectively. No stranger to Paste, McLamb’s Going Through It was Paste’s Album of the Week at its release back in January, being described as “[showing] a characteristically thoughtful embrace of life’s subtleties and contradictions.” This sentiment is just as evident on this stripped down track, as “Glitter” showcases the emotional melodies present throughout Going Through It, as well as McLambs exceptional voice, which shines over top accompaniment from Blizard on guitar.
In conversation with Wagner, McLamb shared that recording in Bear Creek and working with Tudzin was incredible, as they worked on songs that represented McLamb’s childhood and adolescence. She shared that Bear Creek was instrumental in the process of excising all those heavy emotions. Not only was it beautiful and serene, the history of the place (Bear Creek is the studio where Big Thief recorded U.F.O.F) helped her “feel the energy” of the place and contributed to her musical catharsis.
For her second track, McLamb and the band played “Salt Circle” from her 2022 EP of the same name. “Salt Circle” is a powerful track, containing all the best attributes of McLamb’s writing, both vulnerable and poignant. “I’m always gonna feel it / I’ve spent enough time trying not to believe it / I’m always gonna feel the way I do / and I do feel it all, all the time,” sings McLamb’s lilting voice.