London dream-pop/shoegaze trio Deary announced their debut album, “Birding”, and shared its lead single, “Seabird.” “Birding” is due out April via Bella Union Records.
Of the new single, Easton says: “With the whole bird theme, there was also a direct nod to religious iconography—the majesty of feeling insignificant in the wider world. ‘Seabird’ is like a fable, a story of this person pleading to a bird and asking, ‘When does it get better?’ We wanted to recreate that kind of majesty, feeling insignificant to the wider world. It is the perfect introduction to the rest of the record in that regard.”
Across 11 tracks that run the gamut from ocean-deep shoegaze riffs to cloud-light sprinkles of ethereal indie, “Birding” is the sound of a band who have definitively found their groove.
Birds are alluring, fascinating creatures. Unencumbered by earthly concepts, they soar through the skies, only briefly interacting with those of us watching them from below. It’s like they inhabit a parallel world, almost, one where the turmoil of daily life on Earth is entirely escapable. When deary, the London– based dreampop three- piece of Ben Easton, Dottie Cockram and Harry Catchpole named their debut album “Birding”, it wasn’t just as an homage to our feathered friends- they were referencing the sense of expansion, wonder, and abandon their music evokes. They chose the title to draw attention to the direct impact humans have on the world around us, whether that be nature, or ourselves.
With “Birding”, Deary have purposely evolved their sound, opting for starker lyrics and heavier instrumentation than on their previous releases. A perfect example of this is “Smile”, the album’s opener: amid buzzsaw guitars and airy windchimes, Dottie sings of the announcement of a national epidemic of violence against women. It’s a haunting track, and the first time the band have tackled such an intense subject matter. “Seabird”, the album’s lead single, takes “Smile’s” heaviness and transmutes it into something heartening. Propelled by Harry’s Portishead– esque backbeats, the track sonically resembles a wide open sky, with layer upon layer of guitar chords echoing to the heavens. Other focus tracks include the seven-and-a-half-minute long dreampop epic “Alfie” and “Alma”, probably the album’s most pop-forward moment
Of the album as a whole, Easton says: “I was writing the record in one of the worst periods of my life. I was not in a good space at all. Our last EP, “Aurelia”, was about transition, and how it’s cool to change. And “Birding” is, ‘Oh no, I‘ve made some really disruptive life decisions.’ The album came from an isolated, almost hopeless space, and you can hear that in parts of the record. But there are also moments that are very self-loving and meditative, and a bit more uplifting.”
Easton adds: “Our last EP was us trying to be deary, and this album is us being deary.”
Deary is Rebecca “Dottie” Cockram (guitar, vocals), Ben Easton (guitar), and Harry Catchpole (drums).
The Fat Angel Sings 