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Jun 26, 2024 By Mark Redfern

Seattle-based C-pop duo Chinese American Bear have announced a new album, Wah!!!, and shared a new song from it, “Heartbreaker,” via a music video. Wah!!! Is due out October 18 via Moshi Moshi. Check out the new single below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover artwork.

Chinese American Bear are married couple Bryce Barsten and Anne Tong and they sing in both English and Mandarin. While they started the band mainly for fun, the positive reaction to initial singles “Hao Ma” and “Dumpling” led them to be signed to China’s largest indie label, Modern Sky, and also to the British label Moshi Moshi (Girl Ray, Hot Chip, Anna Meredith). This is their first album for Moshi Moshi.

Previously the duo shared the album’s first single, “Feelin’ Fuzzy (毛绒绒的感觉),” via a music video. It was one of our Songs of the Week.

Tong had this to say about “Heartbreaker” in a press release: “We had this loose idea about someone who dreamed of becoming a big music star and then getting their heart broken by it. The verse lyrics are ‘Come and listen. I want to be a big star. Just you wait and see. Shining brightly and happily.’”

Barsten adds: “We’ve always wanted to write a song like ‘Heartbreaker’—this kind of playful, ’60s style, mid tempo heartbreak song. We like the juxtaposition of singing about heartbreak paired with a more playful/upbeat sounding song. Most heartbreak songs are really sad and slow!

“Production-wise, this song was recorded with the cheapest and dingiest sounding instruments we have. Which we love! A semi-broken $100 acoustic guitar tuned to Nashville tuning for that 12-string sound, and an old 1980s Casio CT-310 I got when I was 10 years old. It’s all truly heartbreaking.”

Wah!!! Tracklist:

1. Kids Go Down 孩子们的时光
2. Magic Number 魔法数字
3. Yummy Yummy Yummy 好吃好吃
4. Feelin Fuzzy (毛绒绒的感觉)
5. Love You 爱你
6. Heartbreaker 伤心情歌
7. Pink Strawberries 粉红草莓
8. Bear Day 熊的日子
9. Float On Baby 宝贝, 随风摇摆
10. Weekend In Chinatown 唐人街周末
11. Take Me To Beijing 一起回北京

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