Look/Listen

King Tuff frontman, Kyle Thomas, doesn't skip a beat when asked his plans for the band's future.

"World domination," Thomas states. Well that, he concedes, and "trying to go to a lot of barbeques when we're on tour."

A perfectly logical goal, as band's self-titled sophomore LP nearly begs to be played on blown-out speakers at a boozy, sweaty mid-summer cookout.

Thomas is very much the same in conversation as his musical alter-ego—punchy, fast, and with an edge of teenage derision. The band's second album is a master-class in gritty '60s garage pop. Each track races to the grungy, guitar-driven hook which, in almost every case, is unbelievably catchy—one listen to the single "Bad Thing" and you'll have it in your head for at least a week.

Thomas has spent most of his life playing in one band or another—folk band Feathers, underground pop band Happy Birthday, and hard rock band Witch (a side project of Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis). For the time being, though, King Tuff is his sole focus.  

"This is a band that I've been doing since I was a teenager just by myself, and it's just been kind of this thing that keeps coming back over the years," Thomas explains. "So it just came to a time that I was like 'I'm just going to do that.'"

So far, the decision is paying off. His sophomore LP under the King Tuff moniker his been garnering tons of positive reviews from the likes of Rolling Stone and Pitchfork.

"It makes my parents happy," Thomas says of his success, adding, "I guess I'm happy, too."

King Tuff's music isn't just making his family happy. Thomas explains that shows with King Tuff are far more fun than anything he's gotten to play yet.

"People dance around a lot more and pour beer on each other a lot more," he explains. "It's just a lot more fun in general."