Last week, King Tuff emerged from his hiatus spaceship with the reflective, somber, tug on your heartstrings single “The Other,” his first new song in four years. The track was a huge departure from what we’re used to hearing from Kyle Thomas, the man behind the band. But like any musician in the midst of an evolution, change is a good thing, and something the shred happy thrasher is very much embracing. “These songs blasted me back into the sunshine,” he said on his Instagram post this morning announcing the album. “They saved me.”

Now, if you’re like me and thought King Tuff was about to release an album chock full of semi-acoustic, emotional ballads, prepare to have mind blown. Along with the album announcement today, the King dropped yet another video for new single “Psycho Star,” and it’s so funky and filled with shoulder shaking swagger, I’m honestly floored. With a steady, thumping soul-tinged beat that carries the track through crispy vocals about “watching the wind blow,” the single is flat out infectious. Press play and get ready to move.

The Other, King Tuff’s fifth official album, drops April 13th on Sub Pop, and features special guests Ty Segall, Jenny Lewis, and Mikal Cronin, to name a few. “I assembled a recording studio/spaceship in my house and recorded the whole thing in there myself. I don’t know how to work half the gear but I embraced the mistakes and the beauty of not knowing. I’m more excited about this record than I have been in a long time.” So are we dude. So are we. –Maya Eslami 

Photo: Olivia Bee

King Tuff Tour Dates:
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 *