In April, WET TENNIS began with a trickle—”Original Sin.” Now, after nearly four months of formal rollout time and three ensuing singles (“Forgive Me,” “Kakee,” and “Summer in New York”), Sofi Tukker‘s sophomore LP is soaking streaming platforms.
Conceptually, WET TENNIS, short for “When Everyone Tries to Evolve, Nothing Negative Is Safe,” is something of a positive catchall, Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern told Dancing Astronaut. It’s about “forward movement, optimism and positive growth, no matter the challenge”; it’s also a “lifestyle” that says, “everything’s better when wet,” Hawley-Weld attested, adding, “Wetness is excitement. It’s the pussy, and there’s so much power in the pussy, it’s enthusiasm and excitement—it’s kind of a euphemism for that. But it’s also sweat and movement and flow and mother nature. And it’s sexy, you know? We don’t want just any tennis, we want it to be wet.”
Sofi Tukker develop this metaphor in sopping fashion across the album’s 12 tracklistings. Unabashedly suggestive and altogether playful, the LP’s lyrics translate wetness to words in Sofi Tukker’s globally influenced electro-pop framework. And as a first spin of their answer to their Grammy-nominated debut album, Treehouse (2018), indicates, Sofi Tukker’s wheelhouse will always be located outside of the box.
WET TENNIS, wholly written during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, features a small, select guestlist of collaborators that includes Dancing Astronaut‘s Breakout Artist of 2021, John Summit; their September 2021 single, “Sun Came Up,” is the project’s seventh tracklisting. Mahmut Orhan, Tuck’s Dad, BOII, and Armadou & Mariam make up the remaining artist cameos.
The LP will translate to the live setting in a multi-leg international tour that will put instruments in Sofi Tukker’s hands on stages across North America, Australia, and Europe. A complete list of tour dates and accompanying ticket information is available on Sofi Tukker’s website.
Featured image: Elizabeth Miranda
