Sunflower Bean, Molchat Doma, Coco and Clair Clair, And More: Also Cool's Playlist Refresh

Coco & Clair Clair by Nicole Steriovski

Don’t let the shorter days get you down – our latest Playlist Refresh is here to shake things up.

The Also Cool team has compiled some recent treats from the likes of Shower Curtain, Chinese American Bear, Sunflower Bean, and other artists. As always, we encourage you to add our regularly updated Playlist Refresh on Spotify to stream along.

Now let’s get to it!

Sunflower Bean by Yulissa Benitez

Sunflower Bean - “Teach Me To Be Bad” 

NYC indie rock veterans Sunflower Bean return to their roots on “Teach Me To Be Bad.” The self-recorded and produced single is the trio’s second offering off their forthcoming EP SHAKE, out September 27th via Lucky Number. Exploring “a chance meeting with a special person [that] can change your life forever,” “Teach Me To Be Bad” is just as heavy-hitting as SHAKE’s self-titled lead single. With a delivery reminiscent of The Runaways, singer Julia Cumming growls atop grungy riffs and headbanging percussion, courtesy of bandmates Nick Kivlen and Olive Faber. Following the band’s 2022 pop-leaning record Headful of Sugar, the sonic direction of “Teach Me To Be Bad” nods to Sunflower Bean’s psych-rock coming-of-age, this time with a newfound maturity after a decade of gigging worldwide side by side.

Watch the Isaac Roberts-directed music video below.

“Goblin” by Shunk

Shunk - “Goblin”

Towing the line between playful and unruly, Montreal punk band Shunk has released their first single “Goblin.” The anticipated debut comes after a year of the band cutting their teeth in the underground music scene, making their mark with energetic live sets. A pulpy hint of what’s to come with a self-titled LP on the horizon, “Goblin” entrances with cutting vocals, zigzagging riffs and ostentatious lyrics inspired by Christina Rossetti’s poem “Goblin Market.”

Belaya Polosa by Molchat Doma

Molchat Doma - “Ty Zhe Znaesh Kto Ya”

Post-punk outfit Molchat Doma has shared the 90s-EBM inspired track “Ty Zhe Znaesh Kto Ya,” off their upcoming album Belaya Polosa (out on Sacred Bones September 6th). A starkly-upbeat contrast from the rest of the album, “Ty Zhe Znaesh Kto Ya” is accompanied by a surrealist black and white music video. The main character becomes overtaken by an infectious urge to dance at a dive bar, quickly acquiring an audience and a companion with an alien-looking infection.

“[This single] explores the pain and despair of feeling misunderstood by a loved one,” the band explains, “and the endless guilt that ensues, even though you don’t realize how you yourself contribute to this pain.”

The band has announced North American tour dates for 2025, following their extensive European announcement earlier this year, so be sure to catch them in a city near you. Watch the music video (directed by Maxim Kelly) below.

Girl by Coco & Clair Clair

Coco & Clair Clair - “Kate Spade”

Shortly before the release of their latest album Girl, alternative rap baddies Coco & Clair Clair dropped “Kate Spade” to tease the masses. This spunky two-minute track makes a strong impression with its sharp wordplay and cloud-rap stylings. “Write a hit song then I read a big book / I'm all about the lovin', you can call me Bell Hooks” sighs Clair Clair, impossibly chic yet amusingly inspiring. Coco & Clair Clair might be riding their own high, but they invite you to sit shotgun.

Take a peep at the “Kate Spade” visualizer below.

“wish u well” by Shower Curtain

Shower Curtain - “wish u well”

Shower Curtain, the four-piece NYC band led by Brazilian-American artist Victoria Winter, recently released “wish u well.” This track will be featured on their upcoming debut album words from a wishing well, set to drop October 11th via Angel Tapes/Fire Talk Records. The track is accompanied by a music video that captures the sonically-swirling but complex echo chamber of early adulthood through a saturated digicam world.

On creating the video, director Trevor Scholl says: “It’s an ode to the mentally healing aspect of going for a walk and how stepping out invites the unexplainable. I wanted to capture the sense of exploration found in fantasy films while capturing places we frequent and not relying on overtly ‘magical’ props.”

Chinese American Bear by Eleanor Petry

Chinese American Bear - “Take Me To Beijing (一起回北京)”

C-pop group Chinese American Bear have commanded our playlists all summer long, as they share snippets of their bubbly forthcoming album Wah!!! (out October 18th via Moshi Moshi Records). On their latest single, “Take Me To Beijing (一起回北京),” musicians Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten conjure up colourful memories from the summers of Tong’s youth. Her soft inflections add to the hazy appeal of Barsten’s synth-laden production, embodying a warmth that complements Wah!!!’s message of cross-cultural joy and longing.

Get lost in the imagery of “Take Me To Beijing (一起回北京)”’s music video (directed by Barsten) below.

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Seattle-based Chinese American Bear Touch on Growing Up in “Feelin' Fuzzy (毛绒绒的感觉)” (Moshi Moshi Records)

Chinese American Bear by Eleanor Petry

There’s a certain thrill that comes from staying up late with friends, giggling over bubbly drinks, and riding the sugar high of eating sweet treats. Seattle-based band Chinese American Bear really tapped into this feeling with their latest pop banger “Feelin' Fuzzy (毛绒绒的感觉),” released May 29th, which sports an uplifting cotton-candy sound. Composed of duo Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten, the bilingual Mando-pop outfit is both cute and profound; and now, this single is out to make the world feel… well, fuzzy. 

The track kicks out with a seriously pleasant riff evoking a sort of old-school grit that pulls colour out of each lick. Barsten’s playful guitar sets the tone before Tong’s fun-loving vocals chime in alongside with the lyrics, “I want to stay up all night making red bean mochi / I want some fizzy sugary bubbles in my belly.” This track might seem simple at first, but it’s more than an average fun-time song about wanting to play—Tong’s lyrics really hit home, drawing on her experience and tapping into the experience many first-generation kids may remember. 

In context, “Feelin' Fuzzy (毛绒绒的感觉)”—sung in both English and Mandarin—touches on a childhood of longing. “I wanted to lean more into my experiences growing up in a Chinese immigrant household,” Tong explains. “When I was a teenager, I was never allowed to go to friends’ homes after school, never allowed to go to parties or school dances on weekends, and definitely not allowed to date. My days were strictly focused on studying, practicing piano, and preparing for exams.” While the English lines hit on the things Tong wishes she could have done in her youth, the Mandarin subtitles read: “Do your homework!” “Play piano!” and “No playing!”

“This song is about what I longed to do during my teenage years instead of the upbringing I actually had,” Tong says. “I wanted to capture that repetitiveness in this song. I'm hoping other kids of immigrants can relate to this song!”

Tong and Barsten make a stellar team. Sonically, they’re locked in, combining forces as a true powerhouse of funky, psychedelic noise. After the release of their self-titled album, Barsten found himself exploring depths of ‘60s and ‘70s songs from Asia. Barsten notes that the grit of the track can be attributed not only to their inspiration, but also the attention to detail in the recording process. While the single was primarily recorded at the duo’s home studio, Trevor Spencer tracked the drums at Way Out in Seattle. “For the production nerds, yes, we used a blown-out knee mic!” Barsten excitedly explains. 

“Feelin' Fuzzy (毛绒绒的感觉)” really feels like that first pop-fizz, cracking open a soda can in the summer sun, and behind that sugar glaze comes something sweet and meaningful. The only thing left is to crack open that summer drink, get lost in the sound, and sing: “Oh man… I’m feelin’ fuzzy.”

Pssst – we’ve got the scoop! Chinese American Bear will release their album Wah!!! on October 18th via Moshi Moshi and Modern Sky.

Wah!!! is now available for pre-order on vinyl.

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Chinese American Bear

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Starly Lou Riggs is a queer agender visual artist from the United States, currently based in Montreal.

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MISZCZYK, Heaven For Real, LVL1 and Chinese American Bear - Also Cool's Playlist Refresh

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Chinese American Bear via Bandcamp

The sun’s out and Also Cool is here to set the pace. We’re coming at you with our bi-weekly Playlist Refresh, and we invite you to take a breather and add these new releases to your listening shuffle.

Starting off strong is the teaser track “In The Dark”, from Ontario composer MISZCZYK’s yet-to-be-released album Thyrsis of Etna. Out on July 15th via We Are Time, Thyrsis of Etna brings together a treasure trove of talent, such as Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier, Pylon’s Vanessa Briscoe Hay, The Space Lady, Marker Starling, Chad VanGaalen, Motorists’ Craig Fahner, and many more. The warm and dubby song, featuring the rosy vocals of Latitia Sadier, evokes the timelessness of endless summer days and leaves us writhing with anticipation for MISZCZYK’s solo debut. 

Along with the song and album announcement on May 16th, We Are Time released a playful stop-motion video for “In The Dark” by animator Jesse Yules. Watch below! 

Okay, cheating a little bit on this next one… but March wasn’t that long ago. Halifax-born, Toronto-based slack rockers Heaven For Real have recently come out with a new music video for their track “Green Winter”, taken from their most recent EP Sweet Rose Green Winter Desk Top Tell This Side Autumn Of The Fighter Hot In a Cool Way (Mint Records). Directed by HFR’s own Mark Grundy, the music video for “Green Winter” follows bandmate Scott Grundy on a freaky adventure with a hybrid storyline of Rocky Horror Picture Show meets Little Shop of Horrors. The video also stars fellow musician Dorothea Paas, who sang guest vocals on the band’s song “Autumn Of The Fighter”.

Switching tempos, our next recommendation comes doused with a syrupy sheen that fits perfectly with summer’s haze. Ottawa-born, Toronto-based singer-songwriter JAD hits a heartbreaking high with “Don’t Let The Sun Set On Me”, a wistful track dedicated to the highs and lows of temporary entanglements. Across eight minutes of brooding folk, JAD captures what it means to bask in a bittersweet afterglow. Soon to return from a month-long residency at Chateau Orquevaux, we cannot wait to indulge in his latest sonic directions.

Next is 星星 (“Stars”) from NYC sweethearts Chinese American Bear. Complete with the pair’s signature pop dreamscape and feel-good aura, 星星 (“Stars”) is the fourth of a handful of treats from the band’s self-titled LP out on July 8th. From our mix to yours, here is a guaranteed pick-me-up single to keep you company. Let us know when you can name a better duo (FYI, the answer is never).

Although we covered them last week, we had to give another shout out to Cola’s track “Fulton Park.” The track is upbeat and slightly disjointed in the best ways, making it an easy addition to any “my life is an indie movie” playlist.

Watch the video below & read our review with Cola here.

Last but not least, we have a high-energy release from LVL1 that’s perfect for your pre-game before the queer afterhours. Perfectly bitchy and in rapid-fire Spanglish, LVL1 returns with another banger after last year’s TikTok viral hit “FVN!”

That’s it for this week’s roundup! Check out our Spotify mix for all of our previous picks + some extra Also Cool favs to help refresh your playlists.

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Milk Jennings Shares Debut Single "Head Talk" (Prod. Sam Cohen) via Telefono & ORG Music

Walking the line between dreamy ambiguity and the harsh complexity of untangling a friendship, Milk Jennings shares his debut single "Head Talk." Milk Jennings, who is one half of Chinese American Bear. Accompanied by a surrealistic music video released via Telefono and ORG Music, the single gives us a taste of his upcoming album to be released this spring.

"Head Talk" was created in collaboration with Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby, Alexandra Savior, Cass McCombs), with the music video produced by Milk Jennings. The mellow tune teeters between love and resentment in a friendship with non-linear, hazy lyrics imitating the complex, often chaotic inner monologue.

The "Head Talk" music video was shot, animated & directed by Milk Jennings. The process consisted of taking 3D photogrammetry scans of himself and importing them into Cinema 4D, where he then manipulated and edited them, adding in lights and cameras. The overall direction takes inspiration from 15th/16th-century renaissance portrait paintings, adapting them to the strange digital world. The literal exploding heads are an ode to the song's lyrics, partly to offset the seriousness of the song's message with a bit of humour. 

Watch the video below

Milk Jennings

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Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

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C-Pop Duo Chinese American Bear Celebrates Mixed Cultures, DIY Music & Dumplings

Via Chinese American Bear

If you grew up mixed, you probably know the feeling of always being "in-between," or never enough of one culture or the other. I'm Mexican and Polish and grew up constantly looking for other people like me, trying my best to navigate my complicated and ever-evolving relationship with my identity. That's why when I found Chinese American Bear, I was so excited to not only love their bright and upbeat music but also to relate to the shared experience of being proud of all aspects of a mixed identity. 

Their name speaks for itself. Chinese American Bear is a bubbly C-Pop duo (Bryce and Anne) creating Chinese / English tunes that bring together their cultural experiences and backgrounds. It also turns out that Bryce is half-Mexican as well! The power of the Internet continues to amaze me. 

Anyways, I had the chance to interview the iconic duo about their music, their lovely origin story, and more!

Malaika for Also Cool: Let's start with the band's origin story. You two are married, so I'm interested to know how you met and when you decided to start making music together.

Anne: Yeah - happy to start at the very beginning. We actually met in high school in Spokane, WA! I was a senior, and he was a junior, and we were both in jazz band at the time. His best childhood friend Bryan was my neighbour, and he would come to pick me up in the mornings for jazz band. Bryan eventually introduced me to Bryce, and we've been inseparable ever since. Bryce actually grew up on a llama farm in Spokane, and our first date was petting and feeding the llamas. (laughs)

Bryce: Yeah, that was a real winner date. I think I used the llamas to get her to like me (laughs). As for the band's origin, the idea of the band came at a more tumultuous time in our life.

We were living in a small apartment in Brooklyn, NY and I was generally feeling boxed in by my music pursuits at the time. I wanted a new outlet of expression that was less serious because I was starting to focus too much on perfection and processes, which caused some of my creativity to feel stale. We were also getting ready to move to Chicago because Anne was about to pursue her MBA at UChicago Booth Business School -- so I knew my past 10 years in New York were coming to an end. That was very difficult to swallow.

On top of that, Anne was teaching me Mandarin, and she had always told me that "Chinese is a tonal language, so speak it like you're singing," so the language was on my mind. We were (mostly me) going a little crazy with all the transition and changes going on, and I kind of snapped. I had a bit of a "fuck it" moment and started to break down a lot of the creative walls I built up around myself. The walls that tell you that you need to do things this way or that way. I started to experiment with new sounds, ideas and wrote a song in Chinese. I showed Anne one of the songs (Xiao Xiong). I told her I had this crazy idea for this pop duo band where we'd write really fun, unadulterated, positive music using Chinese and English. She loved it, and we just started riffing back and forth about ridiculous song ideas, wearing wigs, outfits, lyric ideas, we'd beatbox in the apartment, etc. It was one of the most creatively explosive times for me. We were kids again. No limits, no filters. Magic!

AT: Yeah, it's been so much fun. I remember him playing Xiao Xiong for the first time, and we were dancing all around the apartment. I think we were taking videos of each other dancing too, pretending we were shooting a music video. (laughs)

BB: And it's still like that, which is crazy. And I don't know if this would have happened if it wasn't for all the uncertainty and chaos going on at the time. So it's a good reminder about all the positive things that can come from these negative experiences. 

AT: Indeed. And the band name came from us always calling each other bears (or Xiong in Chinese) as cute pet names. So Chinese American Bear felt fitting. 

Also Cool: How did the band in its current form come about, and how has your music changed over time?

BB: It hasn't evolved much, honestly, other than finding where we want this first record to live musically. We developed a philosophy for this project which I touched on before, and we're still living by it. We feel like children when working on this project, and I think people can feel that. We like fart jokes, and we want to write songs about dumplings!

AC: Your project celebrates your cultural backgrounds, which I'm sure has been influenced by your experience being an interracial couple. Can you tell us a bit more about this aspect of the project and how it's affected your creative process?

AT: Yeah, absolutely. My parents are Chinese immigrants, and I experienced a pretty typical Chinese American upbringing, a home environment that incorporated both cultures. One of Bryce's grandmothers was an immigrant from Mexico, so he's had some cultural exposure to our neighbour down south, but for the most part, Bryce has had a very all-American upbringing. So our cultural differences have been a huge part of our relationship. We've had conflicts from our different communication styles, comedic moments from differences in assumptions and expectations. 

Still, most of all, it's brought us very close together as we learn from and grow with each other. One funny bit is how Bryce was accustomed to a home environment with more sugar coating, daily pleasantries, and sensitivity to everyone's feelings. In contrast, my parents have a typical Chinese directness with how they communicate with family members. So when we first started going out, I'd tell Bryce something like, "your shirt is ugly," and it'd just rip him in half emotionally. 

BB: Yeah, that really crushed me. Haha. I'm an emotional man. It was such a stark difference to how I communicated, and it took a while to get used to. I had to stop thinking that I was being maliciously attacked or something.

AT: Also, because of our cultural differences, my parents were very unaccepting of Bryce initially. Being the conservative Chinese immigrants that they are, they were really hoping for a future son-in-law who was an Asian American doctor from an Ivy League school. Instead, what they got was a white musician who went to art school. They had a very difficult time accepting Bryce in the beginning, and it went on for years. In the end, they saw Bryce's true heart, actions, and intentions, and it stopped mattering what his career choice was or what he looked like on the outside. He's also very ambitious and works extremely hard, which my parents have come to appreciate.

BB: Yeah, it was tough. It's amazing how much we've learned from each other because of it. I've come to understand why her parents felt that way, their experience immigrating to the US, their struggles, and it quickly became understandable and well-intentioned. I feel so lucky to have learned this new perspective in my lifetime. 

AT: Yeah. And today, my parents love him as their own son. So I'm very grateful for that. And also grateful to get to navigate an interracial relationship with Bryce. As for our creative process, the music we create is meant to reflect the unique dynamic we've found as an interracial couple. We're both very silly by nature and have had so much fun incorporating our cultural backgrounds into our music, like making Dumplings with Bryce for the first time. 

AC: What are your musical backgrounds? What was the creative scene like where you're from?

AT: I grew up studying classical music. When I was six years old, I started playing the violin - quickly learned that wasn't my thing (much to the relief of my parent's ears) and switched to the piano when I was seven. I performed in concerts and competitions throughout my childhood and adolescent years and eventually minored in piano performance in college. After graduation, I moved to NYC and joined an amateur classical music organization and continued playing in small recitals with friends. I still try and play whenever I'm around a piano.

BB: I grew up studying classical and jazz piano, though not to the extent of Anne's training. Then switched to guitar around age 12. Played the saxophone as well. I started forming bands and recording on my little Mbox around then. I got my first pair of crappy monitors when I was 17 and became obsessed. I feel like that was when I got completely engulfed in songwriting and recording, and it hasn't changed. I moved to New York when I was 18 and played in a few bands, made some records, went on a few small tours, and collected more instruments and recording gear. I took some engineering lessons from an engineer I really admire (Greg Giorgio from Tarquin Studios). After that, I just watched every producer and engineer I worked with like a hawk. 

AC: What's it been like being 100% DIY? Do you have any advice for other artists who are just starting out?

BB: Being 100% DIY is incredible and freeing, and very fulfilling. It's a ton of work, though (laughs). That being said, there's a lot of value in working with and hiring professionals or going into a studio. 

My advice would be to just buy a little interface and mic and make as much music as possible (DM us if you need suggestions!). Then, spend 10% of your time watching videos and learning, and the rest actually doing it. On top of that, save some money for studio time, or work with people with more experience. Watch them closely, and ask them questions. Look for a mentor. But yeah, number one is to just do it every day and slowly build your skills and confidence. 

Find your voice, find the magic of recording music, and don't follow all the rules. If you don't enjoy recording music, and you only like songwriting, that's ok! Get involved in the community and find people to complement your skills. Also, for music videos - grab your iPhone, and learn an editing program! We've recorded all our videos using an iPhone.

AT: Bryce's mom and dad helped shoot our first music video. In one of the scenes, we're walking down an empty road near Bryce's llama farm, and it was shot with Bryce's dad holding an iPhone while sitting on the back of a pickup truck with Bryce's mom driving the truck. (laughs)

Still from CHINESE AMERICAN BEAR - 好吗 (Hao Ma) [Official Music Video]

AC: Tell us about your vinyl postcards for 好吗 (Hao Ma). Can we play them on a record player? Send them in the mail to a loved one? All of the above?

AT: Yup - our vinyl postcards are meant to be a fun memento to collect. They're literally in the shape of a rectangular postcard, but you can play it on your record player, and it has our single Hao Ma on it. You can order it online and send it to yourself or to someone else as a gift. We also include a personalized note that's written by one of us! Shout out to Josh from Vinyl Post. 

AC: Are you involved in any other creative projects? If so, can you tell us a bit about them?

BB: I have my debut solo record coming out early next year under the moniker Milk Jennings. One of my favourite artists Sam Cohen, produced it, and I'm super excited about it! I have some crazy music videos in the works for it. I'm also an animator and have animated some stuff for Ashe recently. Big fan of hers!

Still from CHINESE AMERICAN BEAR - 好吗 (Hao Ma) [Official Music Video]

AC: Who are some musicians/artists in your scene who you think deserve more recognition?

BB: There are a lot of amazing artists from Taiwan/China that we've discovered. Some already have a pretty big following around Asia, but not as much appreciation in thie states. Bands like The Fur., Huan Huan, deca joins, Wayne's so Sad, and The Chairs. All so incredible. Also, Tommy Pixel is a good friend who is really pushing new ground both musically and visually. He's one of the best. 

AC: Finally, what's the best way to support Chinese American Bear right now?

AT: The best way to support us is to listen to our music on YouTube or Spotify! We'd also appreciate you subscribing to any of our channels and/or following us on Instagram to keep updated on new music. Our vinyl is available on Bandcamp. Links below!

BB: Tell your friends and family. We have a full-length record we're almost finished with as well, so stay tuned. Oh, and we have free stickers that we ship worldwide. DM us!

Chinese American Bear

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Malaika Astorga is the co-founder of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and communications specialist currently based in Montreal.

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