DEARY - Birding

Formed in 2021 and raised under the good, ethereal star of Sonic Cathedral before landing on Bella Union, the celebrated label founded by Simon Raymonde, deary have crossed the finish line with their debut album. "Birding" arrives in the wake of the "deary" EP (2023) and the well-received "Aurelia" (2024), bringing with it a rawer set of lyrics that follow a common thread: humanity's impact on the world around it, both in nature and in interpersonal relationships. This is immediately clear from the vulnerable opener "Smile", which centres on violence against women, with the smile "worn" like an ornament to mask the fear of having chosen to wear a skirt. As for the dreamy sound woven by the trio - Dottie Cockram (vocals and guitar), Ben Easton (guitar) and Harry Catchpole (drums) - the legacy of Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, Cranes and the like is unmistakably evident.

"Heaven Or Las Vegas" and "Spooky" stand out among the main influences on "Seabird", one of the record's high points, which initially incorporates trip-hop elements before flowing into a shoegaze-tinged finale, then continuing with the gentle "Baby's Breath", where the voice recedes even further into the distance. Latching onto this is the short, dark, almost entirely instrumental "Gypsophila", which takes its title from the flower of the same name, a symbol of purity, innocence and eternal love, in turn serving as the introduction to "Blue Ribbon", which gradually takes off by layering voices and drum patterns.

The enigmatic, stripped-back "Garden Of Eden", carried solely by Dottie's voice and an acoustic guitar, acts as an interlude leading into the sweet "Alma".

The main touchstone here is the jazzy, noir-ish atmosphere à la Portishead on "No Sweeter Feeling", followed by the sighs and synthetic reverb of "Terra Fable" and the seven-and-a-half-minute "Alfie", an elaborate, essential Slowdive-flavoured centrepiece, before the journey concludes with the shimmer of the title track, which nonetheless comes across as a non-essential filler.

If, on a sonic level, "Birding" - while well-crafted and well-balanced - looks a bit too closely to the big names of the dream-pop and shoegaze universe, falling slightly short on originality, what makes the difference and gives deary an encouraging push to spread their wings in the future is a growing songwriting sensibility and a keen attention to compositional detail.

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05/06/2026