Five years is a long time to be out of the music circuit, but it should come as no surprise that THAO is returning to the stage with a boom. After dissolving her band Thao & the Get Down Stay Down in 2021, she stayed quiet until June of this year, when her Instagram began posting ominous photos hinting at a return. That return is her ninth studio album, Show Me.
If there’s one word I would use to describe this entire record, it would be bright. Every hour of daylight could describe the sounds within Show Me, from the white, cold sunshine of the morning to the orange, warm sunshine of the evening. I wish I threw on some sunglasses while I listened.
The thing about THAO is her sound is a bit … off. It’s difficult to describe, but you know major and minor chords? How major chords sound more positive and minor chords sound more negative? THAO focuses on the negative, and it’s become the driving force of her creativity. It lines up with her whisper-y, slam poetry-esque vocals and makes you cock your head as if it’ll help you listen better (that might just be my Placebo, but I think it works!).
“Fossils” is a banger of an opener, just because of the bass riff. It’s very playful, kinda in the way David Byrne’s solo music has a bit of childlike whimsy. As the song runs down, THAO employs a gaggle of friends for the final chorus, cocooning her in a sea of voices.
The first collaboration is tUnE-yArDs and The Linda Lindas on “Sick Of The Times,” which we’ve been bumping on Studio One. This is where beeps and boops make their grand entrance, in a deep, sassy kinda way, and with a driving rhythm that keeps my feet tapping in the morning when I’m live.
THAO’s vocals reminds me so much of Amelia Meath of Sylvan Esso. They both have this feathery, spoken word-like texture to them that’s truly a hit or miss. “Take It Easy” and “Close Up” are where their sounds are most similar, and it had me cross-comparing Sylvan Esso’s new album Ow Infinity with Show Me.
Adrian Quesada of The Black Pumas and Neko Case also make appearances here, contributing to the buzzy guitar picks and blending into the music so well it’s like they were always there. Divorce, self-compassion and growth are the big themes of this record, and both Case and Quesada accentuate with their own style.
There are no proper “blow ups” in this album, no epic drops or jarring vibe changes, but who says that’s a requirement for a good song? THAO stays consistent throughout, almost like she’s saying, 'What you hear in the first 10 seconds is what the song is,' and then leaves it at that. She puts a lot of trust in her songs to become earworms without the glitz and glamour of a beat drop, and I admire that quality within this record.
If you like unconventional vocals, plucky guitars and spoken word, this is an album for you. I’m curious to see how the rest of the world reacts to THAO’s return. And hey — keep me in the loop!
