If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Eleanor Petry For their latest single, Chinese American Bear have decided to go quietly groovy. "Mama" is the new track from the duo of Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten, and it has this great quality of making you want to dance and chill at the same time. The funk guitar riff might be the highlight of the entire song, which is relatively stripped down. It's the kind of song that sounds both vintage and modern at the same time, and combines funk and twee. It makes me think of a collaboration between Deee-Lite and Belle and Sebastian, which I think we can all agree that we've never thought of that combination but suddenly need it. Based on the few singles we've heard, Chinese American Bear could end up being the sleeper band of 2026. Anne Tong says of her band's latest single: "I’ve always wanted to write a song with the phrase 'chi fan le'. In Chinese families, every day revolves around meal times. Food is an extremely important part of the cul...

Photo by Eleanor Petry Chinese American Bear is the duo of Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten. They just released a new single that is a pure delight. "All the People (所有人) ," is a whimsical indie pop song sure to make even the grumpiest indie music snob smile. The song captures pure joy in musical form, and it's just a fun song. It's also cleverly put together, which is the part that is most likely going to appease the snobs. I normally bristle at music that is labelled "pop" or "uplifting," but Chinese American Bear have crafted something that is quite simply magic with their latest single. At a time when we could all use some extra positivity in the world, "All the People  (所有人) " is here for us. Bryce Barsten says of his band's latest single: "All The People (所有人) is probably my favorite song on the album.  It’s so fun, light, cool, and a little weird. It’s a song for everyone. All the people. It has some fantasy vibes, musically an...

Photo by Eleanor Petry Chinese American Bear are a Seattle based duo consisting of married couple Anne Tong and Bryce Barston. Their latest single, "No No Yeah Yeah (不不好啊好啊)," is an insanely fun two minute burst of indie pop. We've described songs as infectious before, but nothing we've covered is an infectious as this release. The song has a kind of cut and paste feel to it, much like you get with a mash-up track. It's light and airy feeling with a danceable beat, and if you're looking for a way to inject yourself with joy, there aren't many better ways than listening to " No No Yeah Yeah (不不好啊好啊) ." Chinese American Bear might be the most enjoyable artist we've covered in quite a while, and this is perfect if you need a little escapism at this point in time. Chinese American Bear say of their new single: " This song came about one day because we were joking about wanting to write a song using only 'No' and 'Yeah.'  Can...

Photo by Mike Rozycki The new single from The Wave Pictures strikes pretty close for us all in the Boston w e've lost a ton of legendary music venues in the last couple of years, so a song  about losing a beloved hangout to development strikes a chord with us. "Pool Hall" is this groovy 90s tinged indie rock song. Dave Tattersall's vocals come across like a crooning Stephen Malkmus or a less rock star version of Jarvis Cocker. It's a chilled out, bluesy sound that is really unique in the world of indie rock, and I'm really looking forward to hearing more from these guys. The upcoming album from The Wave Pictures, Bamboo Diner in the Rain , will be out November 11 on Moshi Moshi. You can watch the video for "Pool Hall" below. For more information on The Wave Pictures, check out their website and Facebook . You can pre-order Bamboo Diner in the Rain here .

Photo Credit: Kirsten McTernan I've had to come to terms with liking Sweet Baboo. His music is a little too polished and pop for what I normally like, and, quite frankly, I normally hate typical pop music. But Sweet Baboo is just a little different. Somehow the Brits have this ability to make straightforward pop that's just quirky and odd enough that it can still be interesting. "You Got Me Time Keeping" starts off super sunny and sweet, almost a 60s pop throwback. It changes into this heavily orchestral track, which keeps changing to the point where I lost track of how many different songs it could have been. By the end, it's back to the original sunny pop song. It's one of the most brilliant pop songs I've heard in years. You can watch the video for "You Got Me Time Keeping" below. Sweet Baboo's new album, The Boombox Ballads , is due out August 14 on Moshi Moshi. Of course, he has a website and a Facebook that you should check out....