Carlita and SOFI TUKKER Turn New York Into a Love Song on “Manhattan”
Carlita has teamed up with SOFI TUKKER on "Manhattan," a melodic house love letter to New York City released via Ninja Tune with a video shot around the city.
Carlita and SOFI TUKKER have teamed up for “Manhattan,” a melodic house tribute to New York City released via Ninja Tune — and the video is exactly as low-budget charming as the song is warm.
The track is a straight-up love letter to the city, sitting somewhere between melodic house and indie dance. “There's nothing like walking down the streets of Manhattan, headphones in, and life feels like a movie,” Sofi Tukker said of it. “That's the energy of this song.” Which is a fair description — it's got that specific quality of music that makes an ordinary walk feel cinematic.
The video leans into the same idea rather than fighting it. It was shot in a friend's car as the artists drove around New York, petting dogs and drinking matcha. No stylists, no drone shots of the skyline at golden hour. For a song about the everyday texture of a city, that's the right call.
Carlita's had a strong year. She released “Patchwork” with Paige Cavell in April, timed to her Coachella appearance on the Yuma stage alongside Josh Baker, and she's spent the summer working through Cercle Festival and Cannes with two headline Los Angeles dates on the August calendar. That follows 2025's “Mind Off” with WhoMadeWho and her fabric presents mix compilation.
If you're new to her: she's Istanbul-born, classically trained on cello, and released her debut album Sentimental on Ninja Tune in 2024. That combination — conservatory training plus a genuine club sensibility — is why her productions tend to have actual melodic movement instead of just a loop and a filter sweep. She landed on our rising artists to watch in 2026 list back in March, and “Manhattan” is a good argument for why.
Pairing her with SOFI TUKKER makes sense on paper and works better in practice. Sofi Tukker have always been able to write hooks that stick without being cloying, and Carlita gives them a groove that's more patient than their usual tempo. It's a summer song that'll probably work even better in October.
