  A decade ago, BES Collaboration reported the discovery of a new scalar
isosinglet resonance denoted as $f_0(1790)$. The finding was subsequently
confirmed by LHCb. Recently, the existence of the corresponding isotriplet
state -- the $a_0(1950)$ resonance -- has been claimed by BABAR. We investigate
whether these resonances can be described as excited $\bar{q}q$ states. To this
end, a comprehensive Lagrangian containing ground-state $\bar{q}q$ mesons as
well as their first excitations is constructed in accordance with symmetries of
the strong interaction. Both $f_0(1790)$ and $a_0(1950)$ emerge as compatible
with $\bar{q}q$ excitations; however, tension appears to arise between the
simultaneous interpretation of $f_0(1790)$/$a_0(1950)$ and pseudoscalar mesons
$\eta(1295)$, $\pi(1300)$, $\eta(1440)$ and $K(1460)$ as excited $\bar{q}q$
states.
