Kyle Thomas aka King Tuff, recently released his first new song in four years, “The Other” is the title-track of King Tuff’s forthcoming release out April 13th on Sub Pop. Today, also sees the release of the single and video “Psycho Star,” which was directed by Cameron Dutra.King Tuff kicks off his tour on May 3rd in San Diego, CA.

Thomas self-produced the record and brought in Shawn Everett (War On Drugs, Alabama Shakes) to assist with the mixing process. The new songs ditch the goofy rock-and-roll bacchanalia narratives of earlier records in favour of a diversity of instrumentation, and lyrics that straddle the fence between painful ruminations and reconnecting with that part of yourself that feels childlike and creative and not corroded by cynicism. The record features contributions from Ty Segall (drums), Jenny Lewis (vocals), Greta Morgan (vocals), and Mikal Cronin (saxophone).

Thomas views the entire experience of the record as a kind of psychic reset. “I let the songs lead me where they wanted to go, instead of trying to push them into a certain zone. King Tuff was always just supposed to be me. When I started doing this as a teenager, it was whatever I wanted it to be. King Tuff was never supposed to be just one thing. It was supposed to be everything.”

King Tuff
The Other
tracklisting:

The Other
Raindrop Blue
Thru The Cracks
Psycho Star
Infinite Mile
Birds of Paradise
Circuits in the Sand
Ultraviolet
Neverending Sunshine
No Man’s Land

King Tuff on tour:

May 3 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah *
May 4 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar *
May 5 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf *
May 7 – Houston, TX – Rockefeller Hall *
May 8 – Austin, TX – Barracuda (outside) *
May 9 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada *
May 11 – New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks *
May 12 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl *
May 13 – Nashville TN – The Basement East *
May 14 – Lexington, KY – The Burl *
May 16 – Washington DC – Rock & Roll Hotel *
May 18 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg *
May 19 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church *
May 20 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall *
May 22 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground *
May 23 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern *
May 24 – Detroit, MI – El Club *
May 25 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall *
May 26 – Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club *
May 29 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall *
May 30 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge *
June 1 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile *
June 2 – Vancouver, BC – Fortune Sound Club *
June 3 – Portland, OR – Star Theater *
June 5 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent *
June 7 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom *

* w/ Cut Worms