THAO's 'Show Me' Is a Prickly, Generous Masterpiece of Return
The Sonic Breakdown
This is the first album Thao Nguyen has released simply as THAO, rather than under the Thao & The Get Down Stay Down banner, and the first since 2020. Show Me runs eleven songs and thirty-seven minutes on Kill Rock Stars, produced by Nguyen with Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner of Tune-Yards, with Eli Crews credited on the production as a whole. The writing circles desire, forgiveness and the aftermath of a divorce, and the arrangements refuse to treat any of that as an occasion for solemnity.
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: Brenner’s fingerprints are all over the bass, which is funky and conversational rather than supportive — on “Nguyen Nguyen Lose Lose” it argues with Adrian Quesada’s guitar and both of them win.
The Spatial Dynamics: Garbus and Crews keep the grooves loose and the mix uncluttered, which leaves room for the record’s best instrument. Nguyen’s voice sits close enough that every swerve in phrasing registers.
Standout Performance
Neko Case on “Catch As Catch Can,” who does not so much guest as answer back. Elsewhere The Linda Lindas crash “Sick Of The Times” with exactly the right amount of disrespect for the song’s own gravity.
Why It’s Certified
⚡ The Fire Note gave it four out of five: “Six years away haven’t dulled THAO’s instincts,” concluding that “six years was a long wait, but Show Me earns it.”
🌈 The Big Takeover nailed what holds it together — “Nguyen’s voice stays the center of gravity, dry, tender, quick to swerve” — and why it lasts: “Nothing gets wrapped up neatly on this record, and that’s its saving grace.”
🌈 A return album that sounds like a continuation. Rarer than it should be.