Thao - “Ambition”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 8

Pairs Well With…Mitski, St. Vincent, Angel Olsen

Thao’s latest single “Ambition” is a jagged continuation of her 2021 full-length Temple (the last record released as That & The Get Down Stay Down before disbanding last year), psych-rock guitar lines and vocals twisting with Middle Eastern influenced melodies. That balance of weird and accessible is one that has been a trademark of Thao’s adventurous songwriting, melding genres without spacing out in a way that removes herself from each song’s core groove. While this is a new phase for Thao being apart from her band since debuting almost twenty years ago, “Ambition” feels more like a continuation than a purposeful tonal shift and speaks well for the growth that’s leading into whatever is planned next in 2023. (Kevin McStravick) 

2020 Review: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down have a new record Temple out next month and judging from the two early singles, expect an eclectic, new wave rock vibe that’s a logical progression from their complex, indie pop fulcrum. Latest single “Phenom” is a creeping number, undercoated punk tension bubbling with a mysterious, staccato rhythm throughout. Descending guitar lines and weird vocal harmonies take “Phenom” to expectedly unexpected places given the band’s dense and varied catalog, a thread that feeds into the otherwise relatively straightforward title track, a song that lets the groove take hold overall with some nostalgic synthscapes waving throughout the infectious reintroduction.