Chinese American Bear – Yummy Yummy Yummy
As Chinese American Bear, married musicians Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten know that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. “I remember learning a little Chinese for when I first met Anne’s family, and it was so amazing that you don’t say ‘how are you?’ or ‘what’s going on?’, you say ‘have you eaten yet?’” Barsten smiles. So when his previous band disbanded and he and Tong started working on music together for the first time, the Seattle-based duo turned to that intimacy and warmth to lyrically match the musical soup of Flaming Lips, Beach Boys, Bee Gees, B-52’s, and Teletubbies that they had been cooking up—peppering their songs with food references to reinforce the filling emotional resonance. And through that fusion, Chinese American Bear’s sophomore album, Wah!!! (due October 18 via Moshi Moshi) exposes new listeners to Chinese flavors in their indie pop delicacy and provides a sumptuously nostalgic glow for countless fans in the Asian diaspora who had been craving representation.
“When we started this project, we never intended to have me sing in Chinese—or even for me to sing at all!” Tong laughs. At first, the songs were a pandemic project, Tong just being a “supportive partner” helping Barsten with some ideas and teaching him how to speak a bit of Mandarin. But the further along the songs got, the more confident Barsten felt that his soon-to-be-wife’s voice just made everything sound better.
While she studied classical piano through college, Tong had never trained as a vocalist or sung in a band—but somehow it just fit. One listen to lead single “Heartbreaker,” with which they announced the LP last month, reveals that inescapable wonder, echoing Pet Sounds in its vintage synth and acoustic strumming, though its layered vocals deliver lines about musical ambition in limber Mandarin syllables in the verses and soaring English in the chorus.
“Yummy Yummy Yummy” is joyously direct, with lyrics full of references to dumplings and noodle soup both because food is so central to the culture and it’s the perfect way to tap into the nostalgic joy of that special meal. “It’s also true that I have a limited vocabulary in Chinese and we love to eat, so it just makes sense,” Tong laughs.
Tong adds of the song:
We’ve been wanting to write a song about noodles (my favorite food) for awhile and this was that song! In Asian cultures – slurping your noodles is considered a compliment to the chef or a sign of enjoyment and naturally we had to write lyrics about this appetizing sound into a song about noodles. We wanted to make the lyrics visual too – they literally translate to “give me a pair of chopsticks, I’ll hold a spoon, and carry a big bowl of noodle soup.
To coincide with the release the band are announcing fall US tour dates. Full details can be found below.
Today, the duo are returning with a new single entitled “Yummy Yummy Yummy (好吃好吃)”.
Tour Dates
October 18 – Seattle WA – Sunset Tavern
October 30 – Toronto ON – Monarch Tavern
October 31 – Montreal QC – La Sotterenea
November 3 – Brooklyn NY – Baby’s All Right
November 4 – Philadelphia PA – Milkboy
November 5 – Washington DC – Pie Shop
November 7 – Austin TX – Hotel Vegas
November 9 – Chicago IL – Reggie’s Rock Club
November 12 – Los Angeles CA – Moroccan Lounge
November 13 – San Francisco CA – Neck of the Woods
November 15 – Portland OR – The Fixin To
November 16 – Vancouver BC – Green Auto
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