Smalltown Stardust reveals the sensitive side to King Tuff, the garage-rock persona Vermont eccentric Kyle Thomas adopted in the late 2000s. Those early King Tuff records—delivered just after Thomas spent some time playing in Witch, the stoner metal group from Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis—prized fuzztone and grime, offering cheap, high-octane thrills. Thomas consciously avoids that kind of excitement on , instead wandering down the path he began to carve with 2018’s The Other. Designed as a deliberate reset, a chance to flush the dirtiest elements of garage rock out of his system,  nevertheless featured significant contributions from fellow rockers like Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin, inevitably tying it to previous King Tuff albums even if it never sounded as sludgy.  represents the true opening of a new chapter, showcasing a gentle troubadour singing songs of nature.