King Tuff ponders existence

On The Other, King Tuff’s fifth LP, Kyle Thomas leaves garage rock behind for a summer road trip that sees his head fully in the clouds, as he ponders some of life’s more poignant questions over the most unorthodox arrangements of his career. Thomas has mentioned being burned out personally and professionally ahead of releasing The Other (Sub Pop), and the record sounds like an artist shedding his skin. The partying misfit who created unimpeachable riffs for other partying misfits grew tired of himself and tired of his town, so he lit out for new horizons in both lyrical content and musical accompaniment. The scope of his reach is on full display in “Thru the Cracks” (featuring Jenny Lewis), a grandiose ode to a fallen friend that would fit well on any one of Lewis’ records. Two songs later, the raucous “Infinite Mile” — propelled forward by a thigh-slapping harmonica and acoustic guitar — plays Irish wake to the funeral procession of “Thru the Cracks,” as Thomas tells a departed friend he “knows they’ll meet again someday on the Infinite Mile.” It’s not all spiritual ruminations, though. There’s the disco swagger of “Psycho Star,” and the psychedelic hodgepodge of sounds and imagery about being swallowed by the sun that is “Neverending Sunshine.” Overall, Thomas’ existential crisis plays out as an intriguing, if at times uneven, evolution for King Tuff. ★★★☆☆