Chinese American Bear announce new album 'Dim Sum & Then Some' out May 8th via Moshi Moshi | New single 'All The People

Chinese American Bear, the Seattle-based duo of Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten, today announce their new album 'Dim Sum & Then Some', out 8th May via Moshi Moshi Records, alongside buoyant lead single ‘All The People (所有人)’ — released today with a stop-motion video directed by Barsten.

Following the success of their 2024 full-length 'Wah!!!' – new album 'Dim Sum & Then Some' showcases a more musically dense and exploratory vision, marking a sonic evolution for the duo. Delving further into experimental territory while embracing more traditional pop elements than ever before, the album forms a positive and lighthearted collage of the duo’s life together — exploring food, small joys, Chinese-American upbringing, love, and fantasy.

"All The People (所有人) is probably my favorite song on the album," Barsten says. "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 and lyrically."

Tong’s bilingual writing draws on her navigation of Chinese-American identity — using food, nostalgia and memory as emotional anchors — as she expands on the track:

"When Bryce first showed me the sounds for 'All The People', it immediately reminded me of a fantastical setting with castles and fairies so I leaned in that direction with the lyrics. It was fun to write about a topic we hadn’t explored much before. I’ve written a lot on our favorite foods and Chinese culture but hadn’t explored much fantasy. We’re actually both huge fans of fantasy in general (Bryce puts on the Lord of the Rings movies at least twice a month in our household, it’s his comfort background noise). I also recently started getting into 'Romantasy' (A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing, etc.) so I was also in that mindset."

On the single's accompanying stop motion animated video, Barsten said:

“The original idea for this music video was to build giant costumes for people to wear, but that quickly became too ambitious of an idea, haha. Then it dawned on me one day to use puppets! It'd still have that tactile/physical feeling, and I could have multiple characters. I made it in my parents' basement actually, which feels hilarious to say. I felt like a little 12 year old gremlin, working every day in the depths of the basement.”

“The ‘La La’ characters are all stop motion, frame-by-frame, and then hand puppets are filmed live. I honestly didn't even write out a script or anything for this. I just knew I wanted the puppets singing in a theatre, I wanted the ‘La La’ characters to be like these goofy squads of backup singers, and I wanted puppets to shoot beams of light out of their mouths that turn into a heart for the final build of the song. I had like two tiny lights my dad gave me to light the puppets, but mostly just used the overhead lights in the basement. The whole thing is real DIY, like most things we make, but I put a lot of love and time into giving it life. I think with the coming of AI, it feels even better to make things like this. To be hunched over in my parents' basement for hours, excited and inspired, using my hands, and brain.”

Blending warbling guitars with hints of psychedelia, pop, disco and strings — alongside synth-driven electronics and droney, hypnotic textures — 'Dim Sum & Then Some' reflects the Chinese American Bear ethos: open, curious and lighthearted.

Chinese American Bear are a Seattle-based duo making bilingual Mandarin/English indie pop, pairing mandopop melody with psychedelic, groove-driven pop. Comprised of Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten, their sound, resulting from the intersection of Barsten's fondness for MGMT, The Flaming Lips, Pond, and Sly Stone, with Tong's classical piano training and love for all things pop (Taylor Swift, Jonas Brothers), have allowed them to carve out their own brand of indelible indie pop.

They've earned tens of millions of streams, global acclaim, have been featured in VOGUE, Paste Magazine, Under the Radar, and widely celebrated by BBC 6 Music and KEXP (#1 album). Their music has also appeared across film, TV and global brand campaigns, reinforcing their growing crossover reach. They toured internationally with the release of their second album 'Wah!!!' including 15 cities in China, multiple trips to the UK, dozens of festivals, and support for the pop star/internet phenomenon Poppy (USA), and Greer (USA).

Chinese American Bear's new album 'Dim Sum & Then Some' is out 8th May via Moshi Moshi Records. New single 'All The People (所有人)' is out now. Chinese American Bear play The Great Escape, London Calling and Dot To Dot festivals this May.

LIVE DATES

• 14 May - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival
• 15 May - Amsterdam, NL - London Calling Festival
• 17 May - Berlin, DE - Kantine Am Berghain
• 23 May - Bristol, UK - Dot 2 Dot Festival
• 24 May - Nottingham, UK - Dot 2 Dot Festival