Exclusive Premiere: Chinese American Bear serve up a nostalgic groove on new single ‘Mama’
Chinese American Bear share their new single ‘Mama,’ the latest preview of their upcoming album Dim Sum & Then Some, out May 8 via Moshi Moshi Records. The Seattle-based mandopop duo also dropped an accompanying video, marking the newest taste of their third LP.
Built on a groovy, textured rhythm, ‘Mama’ blends indie pop warmth with nostalgic storytelling. The track draws on everyday family moments, particularly the role food and shared meals play in Chinese culture. Pulsating instrumentation and playful melodies carry the song while maintaining the duo’s signature bilingual charm, pairing synth-driven arrangements with an infectious pop sensibility. The single follows previously released album previews ‘No No Yeah Yeah (不不好啊好啊)’ and ‘All The People (所有人).’
Anne Tong:
“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 culture. Typically when a meal is cooked and ready to eat, moms will yell the phrase ‘chi fan le’, which translates to ‘it’s time to eat!’. And every Chinese kid knows that Chinese moms hate it when you’re late to the meal table, so you better run to the table the first time ‘chi fan le’ is yelled.”
Bryce Barsten:
“I remember when I started visiting Anne’s family for meals and I kept hearing this phrase being shouted across the house: ‘chi fan le’. Anne explained to me and it became one of the first phrases I learned.”
‘Mama’ is out now via Moshi Moshi Records and available to stream.
We’ve covered Chinese American Bear previously: ‘All The People (所有人),’ ‘Forever Lover (永远的爱人)’,’ ‘Kids Go Down 孩子们的时光,’ ‘Take Me to Beijing (一起回北京),’ ‘Yummy Yummy Yummy (好吃好吃).’
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