Indie art-rock act mary in the junkyard come into their own with their debut LP.
Release date: July 3, 2026 | AMF Records | Instagram | Bandcamp | Streaming
‘Art rock’ is one of those catch-all genres that doesn’t have a clearly defined sound, instead taking the role of ‘oddball indie with an experimental bent.’ I’m totally fine with that, but it does make discussing albums in this realm a touch difficult. I guess Geese have become the go-to genre poster children, and while I respect their grind despite various marketing controversies, I’m glad that more bands are getting their time in the sun for making unclassifiable music that is both magnetic and kind of weird.
London trio mary in the junkyard fit into this uneasy space, creating melancholy, chaotic compositions that are hard to categorize in the best way possible. Comprised of vocalist and guitarist Clari Freeman-Taylor, bass and viola player Saya Barbaglia, and drummer David Addison, the band rose to prominence online after the release of their first EP, titled This Old House. Role Model Hermit is their debut full-length record, and an absolute masterclass in wriggling into the cracks and fissures of contemporary music with a sense of originality and crystal-clear vision.
Role Model Hermit, overall, pulls off the difficult stunt of maintaining a tight cluster of sounds–Shamanistic drums, orchestral strings, touches of grunge here and there amongst folk guitars–and not letting the album get boring or repetitive. While I enjoyed every single song on the album, there are a few standouts where mary in the junkyard push their already-well-developed sound to the extreme.
“New Muscles” is perhaps the record’s grooviest track, channeling (dare I say) some of the actually good tUnE-YaRdS bangers with layered auxiliary percussion and a locked-in bassline. Freeman-Taylor jumps around the far reaches of her vocal range, beginning with an almost diminutive tone before settling into something more rhythmic and comfortable. This turn of phrase intrigued me even on my inaugural listen:
‘I embrace the thunder and the lightningI will make it so hard to forget meI’m a creature of only instinctI could take you down with one fingerI’ve been getting up and getting outWorking up and getting downI’ve got new muscles all over my back’
I like the interplay here, lyrically, between empowerment and self-advancement, versus the semi-childlike nature of Freeman-Taylor’s half-spoken vocals. There’s a tasty contrast throughout Role Model Hermit along these lines, the softness/strength dichotomy that a lot of gen Z cling to. There’s also the very distinct possibility that “New Muscles” is just about Addison going to the gym, in which case I’d like to apologize for being such a fucking pedantic snob.
“Mantra III” is a nice snapshot of the themes in Role Model Hermit, repeating ‘Go ahead girl/You deserve it‘ atop shambling hand percussion. This is an immediately gripping way to open an album, considering there’s no real melody to speak of, and the tracking is sparse. And yet: it works marvelously. A giant red stop sign to anyone approaching this record thinking they are going to get something familiar and easy, instead urging them to slow down and settle into this swirling sort of sound-storm mary in the junkyard have put together.
“Candelabra” is one of the more straightforward tracks on the album, a haunting acoustic lullaby that feels like it spawned into the tracklist from a Victorian mansion. Freeman-Taylor has a very distinct vocal tone, high and warbling, with a heavy London accent that might turn off some listeners. The price for not having a generic pop belt, I suppose. I think it adds an air of drama to the tracks on this record, and the timber of her voice feels particularly urgent on “Candelabra”, wistful with an undercurrent of despair that is simply hypnotic to listen to.
“Crash Landing” is mary in the junkyard at their most Wolf Alice, particularly their later albums, with lush strings and a generally 70’s ballad vibe. This is a nice change of pace midway through the album, but to be clear, I never came even close to anything other than utterly enraptured during my time with Role Model Hermit. “Crash Landing” is simply a standout track and a good choice for one of the singles due to the emotional nature of the lyrics and the highly cinematic backing instrumentals.
Role Model Hermit is a no-skip for me. mary in the junkyard have managed to hone in on a very unique and appealing sound early in their career, showing a remarkable sonic maturity for a group of young musicians who met as teenagers. I anticipate it’s only onwards and upwards from here.
