deary Interview | Bella Union Debut and the World of ‘Birding’

Last Updated on 2026-04-02 by a-indie

The Theme of Birds

-Yuuki Takita: Now let us talk about your latest album, 『Birding』. I understand that the title “Birding” is meant to “directly express the religious symbolism through the overarching theme of birds — the grandeur of feeling like a small, insignificant presence in a vast world.” Could you tell us why you decided to create a work centered on the theme of birds?

Ben: Our previous EP 『Aurelia』 had motifs of transformation and we kind of kept that idea on 『Birding』, but maybe a little bit less gold and glorious. The cover art depicts a child, dressed in oversized clothes, trying to fly against a harsh and dark backdrop. I think that encapsulates it, the world is so vast and full of so many painful moments that you can only feel small in comparison. Especially nowadays when everything seems quite hopeless.

Dottie: During the writing of the album, I had recently moved closer to nature after a while of living in London. I felt grounding and a connection that we need as humans to calm our nervous system. It was spring time and the birds were everywhere! I loved watching them being carried along the wind and living so close to us. I found poetry books in my local bookshop and read all these myths and legends associated with birds. There was a lot of spiritual and religious connection that we had attached to these creatures. Magpies and their luck, Owls with their wisdom and Crows that carry an omen of misfortune. It inspired a lot of thoughts about how humans associated lessons with nature because at one time, that is all they had and we’ve loosely held on to them. Maybe on natural instinct or tradition but in our digital age it has faded and I think that’s quite sad.

The Poems and Stories That Informed the Album

-Yuuki Takita: I understand that in creating 『Birding』, you eagerly read historical stories and poems about birds. I am curious which specific stories or poems you read.

Dottie: I found this great book in my local bookshop called “The Poetry of Birds” which is a collection of old and new bird poems edited together by Simon Armitage and Tim Dee. At the back of the book, there are notes on each of the birds too. In the foreword, Tim writes that “The first birdwatchers who left descriptions of what they saw were poets” and I just thought that was brilliant. My favourite poems in the collection were ‘The Shrike’ by Sylvia Plath and ‘Wood Pigeon’ by Vicki Feaver.

The Creative Process

-Yuuki Takita: The album maintains a majestic and serene tone throughout, yet there are moments of raw intensity, creating a nice balance between tension and release. Everything feels disciplined, harmonious, and dignified. What kind of exchange of ideas and discussions took place during the creation of this album?

Ben: Disciplined is a good way to describe it. After 『Aurelia』, I made a point of producing and mixing different artists to hone my skills in order to make the deary record. So when we did eventually go into the studio, I felt confident that we were going to produce something good. We also knew that we wanted to refine our sound, reduce the reverb on vocals where it was required, taking moments before adding sounds for the sake of it and being more locked in as a team. It was very much a thought out thing.