King Tuff
“Twisted on a Train”
Release Date: January 26, 2026
MOO (MUP Records)
Release Date: March 27, 2026
by Scott Deckman
I’m a latecomer to King Tuff (real name: Kyle Thomas). But I was late getting a smartphone, too. So stuff it. “Twisted on a Train” is guitar rock for the indie set. And guitar rock it is. Full of ’70s pre-EVH ax work and a riff that grabs you. It wouldn’t be out of place on the Dazed and Confused soundtrack. But there’s some neat studio stuff going on, so maybe it goes on the Dazed and Confused remake. Here, Mr. Tuff sounds like John Davis, but on other songs, he favors Marc Bolen. If you’re willing to travel down a very shaggy rabbit hole, you’ll see that with his malleable tenor/countertenor, Thomas has the ability to sound like different people; even, early on at least, women. “Twisted on a Train” brings to mind a hippy version of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and probably a bunch of other indie bands I don’t know the names of. Under his King Tuff moniker and in other projects, he’s purveyed psych folk, garage rock, and twee indie rock. Most notably, he’s played stoner rock with J. Mascis in the band Witch.
