For Eliza Thorp, life doesn’t always travel in a straight line.
The Petoskey, Michigan indie-folk singer-songwriter and pianist’s personal experiences ebb and flow with the passage of time on Stories We Told Along the Way.
“It’s 99 percent autobiographical, and I never really set out to write for other people,” said Thorp about her latest album.
“Songwriting has always been this thing for helping me to make sense of things in my life. It also puts a different lens on it to understand it a little bit better or to hold it in a different way.”
Those different perspectives allow Thorp to process and share wise tales of contemplation, strength and growth across a dozen cathartic tracks.
“It’s definitely cathartic, and it’s really interesting as a songwriter to see which themes keep coming back to you. It’s like, ‘Well, maybe I haven’t really fully unearthed that, whether it be an emotion or that theme yet,’” she said.
“That was the idea or that concept with the title Stories We Told Along the Way, and with it being about life experiences that some people might be able to relate to.”
Thorp’s intimate “stories” feature vulnerable lyrics, soft vocals and earnest acoustic instrumentation set against a backdrop of northern Michigan imagery.
Vivid references to seasons, landscapes, creatures, the cosmos and weather patterns allow listeners to better visualize Thorp’s picturesque world in their mind’s eye.
“Nature has such a huge impact on everything in my life, particularly my overall well-being. I often find comfort in nature, and I feel like it’s where I can slow down a little bit,” she said. “And then I feel like lyrics might come to me in those quieter moments while I’m out on the trail somewhere.”
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