On September 28th, singer-songwriter Eliza McLamb released her new single “Doing Fine”, along with an accompanying music video. Since then, I’ve listened to it every single day.
The song is McLamb’s first release since 2021. The music video is her only 3rd video release ever. The song itself follows McLamb’s struggle with her mental health and the exhaustion it causes. With lyrics like “I’ve been feeling alright I think that I’m on the mend / There’s an old man shaking my shoulders and he’s counting me in again / Gotta, do it, go ahead and live the life you agreed to / Won’t you move it and move on?”, she perfectly captures the constant perseverance it takes to continue to live life while being worn down by your mind. The lyrics paired with her beautifully soft voice moved me to tears the first time listening to it.
While the song alone has deeply affected me, McLamb went on to release a music video that is only the cherry on an already perfect cake. With beautiful cinematography, the video follows McLamb as she is trapped within her own mind while doing daily errands. Her intrusive thoughts take the form of a group of women who drag her across a beach in the dark and into the cold ocean. They tear and beat her as she struggles against them. She can snap back into reality, only to see her thoughts waiting for her in the real world as well. The stuntwomen put on an amazing performance, and you can see every emotion so vividly on McLamb’s face. When I first saw the video, I felt like she had reached right into my head and translated my personal experience onto the screen. It is always such a beautiful moment to watch someone seemingly completely understand you, and sympathize with you about how hard your experience is. I felt immediately comforted and moved by McLamb’s piece and promptly watched the video three more times. This is my plea to you to please go watch the video or simply listen to the song and see what it can offer to you.