The world is always a slightly better place when there’s a new King Tuff record to get lost in, and this past Friday (January 27) we received a good one via Sub Pop in Smalltown Stardust. Described by Brattleboro native Kyle Thomas as “an album about love and nature and youth,” Smalltown Stardust was co-written and co-produced by SASAMI, and is led by one of the smoothest damn songs of this early 2023, a melodically rich and textured gentle pop-rock cruiser called “How I Love.” Thomas even boldly declares it one of his personal faves from the record.
“Sasami wrote this song for me way back in 2018, but it didn’t really come together until we started demoing in 2020,” says Thomas. “This is the type of song I’ve wanted to do for years, but maybe never had the confidence to achieve. I’ve always hid behind loud guitars, but here I’m exposed, and I love how open and empty it is, yet so comfortable too. I wanted to show another side of myself through this record, and I think this song is the perfect example of that.”
Drown the world out with Smalltown Stardust below, which feels like a record we’ll absorb over an extended period of time and let soundtrack the days as winter gives way to spring. It feels like both a road trip album and something to listen to alone in a quiet bedroom, a feat Thomas seems to usually pull off with ease. Come March, King Tuff takes the album out on the road, and included in the tour are stops in Cambridge (March 23 at The Sinclair); Brooklyn (March 24 at Elsewhere); and Thomas’ aforementioned Vermont hometown of Brattleboro (March 25 at The Stone Church). Get all the dates below and hit play on the vibes.
King Tuff’s Smalltown Stardust Live Dates:
March 1: San Diego, CA @ Casbah
March 3: Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
March 4: San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
March 6: Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
March 7: Vancouver, BC @ The Wise
March 8: Seattle, WA @ Neumos
March 10: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
March 11: Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
March 15: Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Upstairs
March 17: Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
March 18: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
March 19: Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
March 21: Washington, DC @ DC9
March 22: Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
March 23: Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
March 24: Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Hall
March 25: Brattleboro, VT @ The Stone Church
March 28: Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB
March 29: Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
March 31: Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
April 1: Minneapolis, MN @ The Turf Club
April 3: Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
April 5: Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
April 6: Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
April 7: Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet’s
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