PREMIERE: Chinese American Bear Share New Song “Kids Go Down 孩子们的时光”

Today, Seattle duo Chinese American Bear—married musicians Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten—have released the latest single from their new album, Wah!!!. “Kids Go Down” is a youthful dance track, aptly arriving like a fairytale turned psychedelic. Tong’s vocal is captured brightly, and her repetition of “shake it off” rings in like a glitchy declaration. The pop tones are bubbly and perfect, as Tong and Barsten charm through a cute, intoxicating melody. “Kids go down, kids go down,” Tong sings over and over while Barsten’s synths wrap around her. It’s an enchanting five minutes.

“This song really encapsulates the essence of Chinese American Bear for me,” Tong says about the track. “It’s meant to be bright, happy, child-like, and fun to dance to, with nonsensical lyrics that doesn’t have deep meaning. The verses actually reference a Chinese children’s nursery rhyme and it means ‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5, climb a mountain to kill a tiger, count with me, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.’ I thought it would be fun to share a very familiar childhood nursery rhyme with a western audience and connect with the Chinese diaspora who may have heard this when they were younger.”

Watch the video for “Kids Go Down” below.