Electro-poppers Sofi Tukker's third 鈥淏READ,鈥� is an acronym for 鈥淏e Really Energetic and Dance,鈥� a mantra that American duo of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern have long embraced.
But before it was an abbreviation, 鈥淏READ鈥� was a literal reference. They view the doughy food as a kind of physical embodiment of energy; the carbohydrates keep them moving. And on 鈥淏READ,鈥� they want their music to do the same for their listeners.
Sofi Tukker is known to animate. Festival crowds have been drawn to the dynamic, colorful sets and multilingual, genre-agnostic sounds since 2017, when Sofi Tukker first played 鈥� a year before the release of the duo's debut album 鈥淭reehouse.鈥� Companies like Apple and Peloton have tapped their songs for campaigns, looking to harness some of their natural momentum. And while creating bossa-nova, jungle- and house-inspired pop has always been their bread and butter, they鈥檙e also trusted DJs with repeat gigs in the party capitals of Las Vegas and Ibiza, Spain.
With 鈥淏e Really Energetic and Dance鈥� as a thesis statement, the new album is joyful even when it references less-than-optimistic subjects. Take 鈥淭hrow Some Ass,鈥� the album鈥檚 lead single.
"Hey Doctor? Can you give me something stronger? / I鈥檝e tried everything you鈥檝e offered,鈥� Hawley-Weld lists the remedies she鈥檚 tried until landing on what works. 鈥淭hrow some ass, free the mind," she sings before the beat drops. There's a deeper truth behind the feel-good approach 鈥� there's a pain the dance masks.
And it works: the song pairs Hawley-Weld's soft-sung, winking lyrics with chants and electric dance breaks by Halpern, to push forward their salve for suffering.
That鈥檚 felt on the lively 鈥淪piral,鈥� which reframes the time spent on a relationship post break up, and 鈥淕uardian Angel (Stand By You),鈥� which finds support in dark times.
Nothing is predictable in Sofi Tukker's collaged jungle-pop, but the creations are also intentionally accessible, as good dance music must be.
That's true in 鈥淐afun茅," written with Brazilian poet Chacal. The title, which doesn't translate perfectly into English, is universal. That's because the song opens with rapper Channel Tres laying out the band's global approach: 鈥淚've never had anyone run their fingers through my hair like that before / You can't even translate this type of s鈥�-.鈥� The setup gives listeners unfamiliar with the word the context to realize that it is a sensual idea, further emphasized by a staccato beat and Channel Tres' slow-talking.
鈥淲oof," which features Nigerian singer-songwriter Kah-Lo, is another example: Halpern repeats the song鈥檚 central refrain, 鈥淚'll make you woof,鈥� in his lowest register. Hawley-Weld鈥檚 lyrics grab phrases from four languages 鈥� English, French, German and Portuguese 鈥� Kah-Lo provides a verse in English and Yoruba, and the underlying track unites the seemingly-disparate vocal sections into a sort of controlled chaos.
鈥淒on鈥檛 need the alphabet to say I want you,鈥� Hawley-Weld croons toward the song's end. They'll draw from their own instead. And it will be a good time.
Elise Ryan, The Associated Press
