KING TUFF – KING TUFF

Kyle Thomas returns as King Tuff to bring us quite possibly the best rock record of the year. After 2010’s Happy Birthday and playing guitar in Hunx and His Punx in 2011, Thomas seems to have perfected his garage rock pop with this self titled LP. Coming off like a cross between T. Rex and Jay Reatard; “King Tuff” serves up classics like “Stoned and Alone”, “Baby Just Break”, and “Stranger” that sound like they could have been on “Was Dead” if it were better produced. This record combined with his work with J. Mascis in Witch proves that Thomas is an American treasure that will be serving up timeless rock for a long time to come. -ATM “… the gambit Thomas takes on “Swamp of Love” is the one that pays off. A wistful piano ballad at its core, the song wildly benefits from Thomas’ romantic croon and the climax that bookends it. It’s actually kind of difficult to imagine this as the kind of song King Tuff had in him. Through all the hits and misses artists go through while expanding their songwriting breadth, surprises this satisfying are why artists step out of their comfort zone in the first place.” -Pitchfork