For all the fans of “sad-girl-indie,” Eliza McLamb is your next obsession. The 23-year-old from North Carolina released her debut album Going Through It in January of this year; it’s a hidden gem that deserves time to shine.

I had the pleasure of seeing Eliza live for the first time back in March at Union Stage in Washington, DC, so I was thrilled to see that the second leg of the tour recently included a stop in Baltimore — my home city. I hadn’t visited Ottobar since before the pandemic; I forgot that when you walk into the venue, the stage is immediately on the right. Ottobar is also covered in stickers, posters, and art that make it feel like a museum. Every crevice feels like a piece of history. There were probably about 100ish patrons in the venue, which made for a wildly up-close-and-personal performance.

At Ottobar on Oct. 11, Mei Semones, an indie J-pop artist, opened the show with a peaceful set that felt light and airy — filled with bossa-inspired rhythms, a jazzy stand-up bass, and the sweet, whimsical vocals of Mei herself.

Eliza and her band opened with the first track off Going Through It called “Before.” It’s a quiet, ethereal track that captures feelings of grief, and knowing you can’t return to a place of “before.” The vibe shifted into the second song “Glitter,” a song about childhood friendship and getting older. The song contains the line “I wanna kill your boyfriend,” which multiple attendees, including myself, had plastered on their shirts. It seems like a hateful line out of context, but the statement is filled with so much love — it’s a feeling I’ve felt before — “he can never know you, he wants to crush you in his hands.” The protective nature one feels towards a best friend is portrayed so perfectly in this song. You see how a first high-school boyfriend treats a best friend and think “that’s not what love means.” The ending when that line is repeated makes me tear up almost every single time.

Watch the official music video for “Glitter” by Eliza McLamb on YouTube:

“Punch Drunk” is a brooding song about a teetering toxic relationship that takes after artists like Clairo, Beabadoobee, Faye Webster, and Phoebe Bridgers. The next song, “God Take Me Out of LA” was released in August, and has a distinct southern twang to it unlike the rest of her tracks on Going Through It. Eliza is the co-host on a podcast called “Binchtopia,” so those familiar would know that Eliza recently moved from LA to New York. In the song, she laments about her dissatisfaction with living in LA, and feeling out of place in her home state of North Carolina as well.

“16” is another ethereal sounding song that’s masked with lyrics depicting teenage trauma. It feels like a diary entry– so personal that I almost shouldn’t be listening. The final verse of the song is accompanied with a heart-wrenching wail from Eliza, which she absolutely delivers live. Eliza performed an older single “Irish Exit,” which thematically is similar to “Punch Drunk,” but is tonally despairing. She announced that she’s working on her second record, and asked if she could play “Like The Boys,” an upcoming track, to which the audience responded with adoring applause.

“Doing Fine” off the Salt Circle EP is a great sing-along song live — especially the chorus — “And baby, I’m doing fine, ’cause everything’s alright I mean, why wouldn’t I, wouldn’t I, wouldn’t I?” Towards the end, the affirmation of “I’m doing fine” morphs into screams, which is cathartic to hear and to participate in. “Strike” is a heavenly love song about expecting a partner to disappoint you, but they miraculously don’t. Once again, “Binchtopia” listeners would know some of the lore behind this relationship she writes about.

Eliza performed “Salt Circle,” which she said was written for her best friend Kate, who’s also her tour manager and was running the merch table. The song is lyrically akin to “Glitter” in that it reflects on childhood, romantic relationships, and the burden of growing up. The line “Trading braiding hair in your bedroom, I’ll salt circle your brain if I have to” is a tender testimony of harboring a loved one; a “salt circle” being a protection ritual.

Watch Eliza McLamb perform “Salt Circle” live for Paste on YouTube:

After “Salt Circle,” Eliza asked if there were any Britney [Spears] fans in the crowd. She proceeded with a cover of “Lucky,” which is fun to sing along — if you know the lyrics — but it appeared most people did not. The cover honestly felt out of place in the set. I think it was likely performed to have a moment with the full band, but I would’ve much preferred to hear a rock song to really shake up the set. I do however appreciate the boldness of performing a lesser-known Britney song.

One of the highlights of the evening was “Modern Woman,” which I find painfully relatable as a fellow 23-year-old. I think her live set undoubtedly excels when the full band is involved, and everyone can “jam” so to speak. It’s refreshing to see the crowd belting and moving around. After the second pre-chorus “If you could sell to me, a brand new way to be, I would buy it, but I’d rather be free,” there’s a scream moment like in “Doing Fine” that electrifies the set. Eliza followed up with “Lena Grove,” which was recently re-released but with her full band. The song originally came out in 2020, and has been a fan-favorite, and one of Eliza’s as well. “Lena Grove” has an alt-country feel much like “God Take Me Out Of LA;” both songs are perfect backroad driving songs, complete with windows down and a fall breeze.

For the “encore” the band exited the stage and Eliza played “Older” solo. She stated that it was her version of an encore, not leaving and “playing a trick” on the audience. The band rejoined towards the end of “Older” and then delved into another new song, “Forever, Like That,” and I cannot wait for its eventual release. There was a line “I remember when I was 17 thinking I learned everything” and then later on “I remember being 23…” It reminded me of Taylor Swift’s Red vault track “Nothing New” featuring Phoebe Bridgers.

“Mythologize Me” was the grand finale, which was full of energy and chantable lyrics. It’s one of her strongest songs, and emulates an early Taylor Swift in lyrics and sound: “Make me in your perfect image of a girl, so sweet but always incomplete and grateful for your needs to give me meaning.”

Overall, it was an intimate night of music I hadn’t experienced in a long time. Supporting small musicians is extremely important, especially in this day and age. I look forward to listening to Eliza’s next project whenever it may be, and I hope to see where she goes with the “alt country” vibe.

Here are some photos of Katie McLamb performing at Ottobar on Oct. 11, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carolin Harvey.

Here are some photos of Mei Semones performing at Ottobar on Oct. 11, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carolin Harvey.