The First Rule Of mary in the junkyard
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
Mary in the Junkyard emerged at a moment when British guitar music seemed increasingly divided between revival and reinvention. The London trio never appeared especially interested in either category.
Formed by Clari Freeman-Taylor, Saya Barbaglia and David Addison while still in their teens, the band quickly developed a reputation for music that felt difficult to reduce to a single lineage. Their early releases drew attention for combining elements of indie rock, folk, art rock and chamber-pop without settling comfortably into any of them. The result was not eclecticism for its own sake, but a sound that appeared to follow its own internal logic.
That independence of spirit has become one of the group's defining characteristics.
The debut EP, This Old House, established them as one of the more intriguing young bands to emerge from London in recent years. Since then, a succession of singles has gradually expanded their audience, helped by support slots with artists such as Wet Leg and an increasingly ambitious live presentation that blurs the boundaries between concert, theatre and handmade mythology. Their performances have become known for elaborate props, strange creatures and a distinctly DIY imagination that extends beyond the music itself.
'New Muscles' arrives as part of that continuing evolution.
Released ahead of the band's debut album, Role Model Hermit, the song has already developed a life of its own through live performance, becoming a favourite during their American tour dates with Wet Leg in 2025. According to the band, it began on accordion and was written about drummer David Addison joining a gym, a premise that is simultaneously mundane and faintly absurd in a way that feels entirely consistent with their wider sensibility.
What makes Mary in the Junkyard interesting is not simply their willingness to embrace unusual ideas, but their refusal to treat them as jokes. The band's work often occupies a space where humour, sincerity and eccentricity coexist without hierarchy. A song can begin with an apparently throwaway observation and still carry genuine emotional or artistic weight.
That approach appears throughout the band's public identity.
Interviews, artwork, videos and live shows all suggest a group more interested in building worlds than establishing a brand. Their creative circle extends beyond the music itself, incorporating visual art, performance and a collaborative ethos that remains closely tied to their origins. Even as their profile has grown, they have retained a sense of self-contained invention.
'New Muscles' offers another glimpse into that outlook.
Not because it summarises everything the band do, but because it reflects the peculiar balance they have cultivated since the beginning: playfulness without irony, experimentation without self-consciousness, and a willingness to follow unusual ideas wherever they lead.
As Mary in the Junkyard move towards the release of Role Model Hermit, those qualities remain more compelling than any attempt to categorise them. Many young bands spend their early years trying to define themselves. Mary in the Junkyard often seem more interested in discovering what might happen if they refuse to.
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