Six years after her last studio album, THAO returns with Show Me, a deeply personal new record due 30 October via Kill Rock Stars, alongside the release of its first single, the politically charged ‘Sick of the Times’.
Stream it HERE.
The album also marks a significant new chapter for the acclaimed songwriter, who has retired the long-running Thao and the Get Down Stay Down moniker in favour of performing simply as THAO. Co-produced by Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner of Tune-Yards, Show Me explores love, identity and personal transformation through a collection of songs that reflect the profound changes in Nguyen’s life over the past six years.
Lead single ‘Sick of the Times’ channels those experiences into something outward-looking. Featuring guest appearances from Tune-Yards and The Linda Lindas, the art-rock track is conceived as a song for collective action rather than quiet reflection. Built around driving rhythms, urgent synths and layered vocal harmonies, it was written with rallies, grassroots organising and mutual aid events in mind, reinforcing Nguyen’s long-standing commitment to community activism. Extending that philosophy beyond the music, THAO will donate US$1 from every ticket sold for her San Francisco and Los Angeles shows to Working Families Power.
While Show Me addresses political engagement, it is equally shaped by personal reinvention. Following divorce and a period of profound upheaval, Nguyen describes the record as documenting a changing relationship with love, desire and self-understanding. It is also the first time she has written openly about sexuality and queer identity, broadening the emotional landscape that has long defined her songwriting.
Although this is THAO’s first album since Temple, she has hardly been absent. In recent years she has guest-hosted the Song Exploder podcast, hosted PBS series Southern Storytellers, composed film scores, worked on a stage musical, appeared in film projects with artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen, and begun work on her first book. Even so, Show Me makes clear that songwriting remains at the centre of her creative practice.
With contributions from Neko Case, Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas, Tune-Yards and The Linda Lindas, Show Mefinds THAO embracing change without abandoning the incisive songwriting that has defined her career. If ‘Sick of the Times’ is any indication, the record will balance deeply personal reflection with an unflinching engagement with the world beyond it.
THAO will be heading out on tour this fall, go HERE for tickets.
