People talk a lot of establishing an identity and being in transition as part of that, but for the members of deary, the shift between their former selves and what they present on their debut album is a very clear one. “Our last EP (2024’s Aurelia) was us trying to be deary.” says guitarist Ben Easton “And this album is us being deary.”
What that means is thankfully still a little open to interpretation. Birding expand’s the trio’s sonic palette and even in places swings towards heavily layered pop, but in Dottie Cockram they have a vocalist capable of making a distinct impression in a field choked with artists navigating similar musical territory.
They waste no time in exploring this potential, with opener Smile finding Cockram dismantling the conceit of male privilege via the grimly accurate “One wears a badge/One wears a title/I wear a skirt/And fear with a smile”. It’s overly simplistic to describe the current generation as captured by their own nostalgia, but references to the likes of slowdive, The Sundays and in particular on Seabird the Cocteau Twins are impossible to ignore. Birding‘s best moments however are in the serpentine Alfie and the chilly gothic wake of Terra Fable, both of them standing on their own two feet, whatever reservations anyone else might hold.
You can read a full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 