Photo by Shervin Lainez
Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern follow a simple motto taken from poet Mary Oliver: “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” Even before they were the New York-based electropop outfit SOFI TUKKER, the duo were taking those words to heart. When a medical issue derailed his dreams of basketball stardom, Halpern refocused on his musical aspirations, teaching himself production and DJ techniques while recuperating. Hawley-Weld, meanwhile, dabbled in everything from Brazilian poetry to International development — whatever captured her fascination. When their paths finally crossed, they knew right away that they were bound to follow their mutual love for music.
That has led them to Soft Animal, their debut EP out July 8th. The latest single from that release, “Awoo” shows exactly what can happen when you just let yourself do what you love. Built on bossa nova beats pumped up on electronic instrumentation, the track simply breathes carefree fun. In fact, embracing a bought of the giggles is exactly how “Awoo” came to be hollered.
“We wrote ‘Awoo’ with our friend, Betta Lemme, when we were all hanging out laughing by a piano, in a heightened state of goof,” SOFI TUKKER tell Consequence of Sound. “We have a whimsical dance to go along with it. It’s one of our favorite songs to perform live.”
Check out the song, which features Betta Lemme on backing vocals, below.
SOFI TUKKER will be out on tour this summer, playing dates with M83 and Chairlift in the states after some European festivals. Their full itinerary is below.
SOFI TUKKER 2016 Tour Dates:
07/01 – London, UK @ British Summer Time at Hyde Park *
07/01 – London, UK @ White Heat at The Lexington
07/02 – Amsterdam, NL @ PITCH
07/06 – Cesme, TU @ Burn Electronica Festival
07/07 – Milan, IT @ Festival Moderno ^
07/09 – Zamardi, HU @ Balaton Sound Festival
07/15 – Salacgriva, LV @ Positivus Festival
07/17 – Istanbul, TU @ One Love Festival
07/20 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre #
07/21 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion #
07/25 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant &
07/27 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Stir Cove &
07/28 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre &
07/30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
08/19 – San Francisco, CA @ Popscene at Rickshaw Stop
08/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Pershing Square $
* = w/ Massive Attack, Patti Smith and Her Band, TV on the Radio, Young Fathers, and more
^ = w/ Grimes and Blood Orange
# = w/ M83 and Chairlift
& = w/ M83
$ = w/ Todd Rundgren
