Thao Nguyen has been making music for quite some time now, as the Virginian started plucking strings at the ripe age of 12. After various stints and attempts with relatively unknown bands, Nguyen has finally found her groove with her new band The Get Down Stay Down.

Well, Nguyen and the band have just released their debut album We Brave Bee Stings and All, a folk-rock gem that seems well suited for those introspective, easy-like-Sunday mornings. Nguyen’s gentle, petite vocals teeter on the edge of sounding cutesy and strained, but somehow she pulls it off with class. Perhaps that is a testament to her band, who supplies a fair share of lazy guitars (“Big Kid Table”), funky keyboards (“Geography”), and rolling drums (“Beat (Health, Life, and Fire)”). Ranging from off-kilter reggae (“Bag of Hammers”) to lifting sing-alongs (“Yes, Soon and Soon”), this album is a real pleasure.

So go grab a copy of We Brave Bee Stings and All.

Listen to “Beat (Health, Life, and Fire)” (4.8/5)

Listen to “Big Kid Table” (4.5/5)