Every week, 88Nine music director Erin Wolf shares a sonic gem she found using her nearly 20 years of new-music exploration experience. You can hear all her discoveries live on 88Nine at 10 p.m. every Monday on What’s All This: Adventures in New Music.
Wife and husband duo Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten are pop band Chinese American Bear. Together, they create what’s been described as “bilingual ear candy,” singing in both English and Chinese about their combined cultures under a bubbly lens.
New album Dim Sum & Then Some is due out May 8 to Moshi Moshi Records, and one of the clear highlights is the catchy “Turn Up the Radio (把收音机开大点),” where the prompt is totally warranted.
Barsten calls it “a kids song for adults,” which is reflected in a music video that features a little girl shimmying in her bedroom with her toys as the audience. “I like that it sounds really simple and playful,” Barsten added, “but then the production twists it just enough so it’s not actually ‘kids music.’ It’s bright, fun, a little sugary, but with this slightly trippy edge underneath.”
Hear “Turn Up the Radio (把收音机开大点)” on the latest episode of What’s All This, which you can check out using the player at the top of the page. Then be sure to tune in to 88Nine at 10 p.m. every Monday for a fresh batch of tunes as we continue our Adventures in New Music.
Best new indie music this week
- Flying Lotus, “1983”
- Alabama Shakes, “American Dream”
- Dari Bay, “We’re Gonna Be Okay”
- Body Type, “And What Else?”
- Iguana Death Cult, “I Like It, It’s Nice”
- Chinese American Bear, “Turn Up The Radio (把收音机开大点)”
- Rosa Walton, “Halfway Round The World”
- Aldous Harding, “Venus in the Zinnia”
- Steve Gunn, “Shape of a Wave”
- Juni Habel, “Evergreen In Your Mind”
- NewDad, “Kick The Curb”
