UKNY for November 1

There's a global intersection on "UKNY" — mostly British, but boomeranging back Stateside too, as with the Seattle-based trio, Chinese American Bear. 

On tonight's "UKNY" at 7 p.m., an FUV Live session from from the trio — vocalist Annie Tong, multi-instrumentalist Bryce Barsten, and drummer Zichun "Rex" Liu — whose third album, Dim Sum & Then Some, continues their joyful bilingual journey of effervescent pop. To stretch the metaphor even further (and bringing more light into this first day of standard-time autumnal darkness), Chinese American Bear's music is a sunflower bouquet of euphoric mando-pop, as charming as a somersaulting panda, and laced with the joy of Annie and Bryce’s longtime love story. 

Chinese American Bear performed three songs: their latest single (not on the album), "Dance Dance Dance (跳舞跳舞跳舞)," and two album tracks, "Forever Lover (永远的爱人)," and "Take Me to Beijing (一起回北京)." 

Tong and Barsten began working together as musicians in a serendipitous way, and in a conversation, they told me of their relationship, that road from a llama farm, high school, and first dates to New York City and Princeton. As a couple, creatively and personally, they've found with a charming angle on pop that's embraces romance, dumplings (and good food overall!), and their appreciation of the rhythmic bounce of the Mandarin dialect. Tong and Barsten are new parents too, and there's a refreshing, childlike innocence to their songs, much needed in this this complicated world.

Aligned with Chinese American Bear's cheery nursery chant aesthetic, songs that zip down a similar byway from Boards of Canada, SOFY, and Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul, plus for the NYC Marathon, a track for all of today's runners.

That's "UKNY," Sundays from 7-8 p.m., on 90.7FM, streaming on line and in the Archives after broadcast. The full Chinese American Bear session will also be available after broadcast.

[Session recorded 6/22/26. Engineered by Nadia Garriga, Holden Buckley, Gwen Taylor, and Heather Jones. Produced by Kara Manning. Videographers: Olivia Iannaccone, Kellie McGuinness and Dylan Duong.]