King Tuff

What do you get when you cross Ty Segall’s former project the Muggers, a Fender Stratocaster, and an itching malaise? Why, that’d be Sub Pop Records’ neo-psychedelia darling Kyle Thomas, aka King Tuff, who has returned with a new elevating installment of his intergalactic garage-rock wizardry. Less glam with less fuzz than Black Moon Spell, Tuff’s The Other finds the Vermont rocker tapping into jazzier influences that up the ante on his groovy factor. Thematically, his fifth studio record tackles everything from depression, global warming, and humanity’s reliance on technology — all against a shimmering backdrop of brass arrangements and sexy guitar riffs.