Formed in 2014 by Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern, SOFI TUKKER only released their first track "Drinkee" (which ended up in an Apple watch advert) in May of last year and followed it up with tropicalia of "Matadora" later in the year.

Only three tracks in and the duo have already created a signature sound; hypnotic rhythms which draw from South America and Afrobeat, some Highlife-style bursts of guitar and Hawley-Weld's entrancing vocal style, a sort of seductive half-singing, half-speaking mantra.

On "Hey Lion", Hawley-Weld delivers line after line of put-downs, unimpressed by someone's show of strength while congas create head-spinning pattterns over whooping synths and scratchy guitar. Of the track, the singer says "'Hey Lion' is like a sonic snack. It's not like 'Drinkee' or 'Matadora', which were made as vibration journeys. 'Hey Lion' is like the opening chant to Soft Animals ... we want to welcome people into our version of this animal-world, where strength is soft and nobody is boss (except for youuuuu and your bodyyyyy which may love what it loves)." Amen to that.

The EP Soft Animals will be out soon, and SOFI TUKKER will be playing a series of showcases at SXSW. In the meantime, listen to "Hey Lion" below.