CD of The Week

Thao Nguyen made her mark in the late aughts fronting Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, mixing quirky indie rock grooves with personal lyrics over five albums, before disbanding in 2020. After the band ended, she spent her time in the podcasting and TV worlds on various projects, but just released her first proper album, under her first name (in all caps) as THAO. And while Show Me may be a solo album, she certainly didn’t go it alone, bringing in some talented friends and peers to lend a hand on the new record.

Show Me was co-produced with both members of Tune-Yards, Thao’s long-time friend Merrill Garbus and her cohort / husband Nate Brenner. Lead single and opening track “Fossils” sounds straight out of the Tune-Yards playbook, with Brenner contributing a rubbery bassline throughout. The dance banger “Sick of the Times” not only features both members of Tune-Yards but The Linda Lindas in the mix as well, as Thao repeats her mantra to voice her frustration with the state of the world today.

Aside from being a clever pun on her last name, “Nguyen Ngueyn Lose Lose” is a meditation on her complicated relationship with her estranged father (hence the two Nguyens in the title) and features some gorgeous guitar work from Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas. There’s more tricky wordplay on “Jeans/Genes,” as Thao gets down and dirty over a twisty groove, alternating in the chorus between “Pardon this casual affair / I got these f*** boy genes” and “Pardon this casual fare / I got these f*** boy jeans.” And one more special guest shows up late in the record, as the mighty Neko Case contributes her voice to album highlight “Catch as Catch Can.”

Show Me isn’t a drastic leap from THAO’s Get Down days. Her unique voice and idiosyncratic rhythms are still part of her sound and make her solo record a compelling listen. THAO will be just north of Philadelphia at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA, showing you what she’s capable of on February 26th.