mary in the junkyard – drains

London trio “mary in the junkyard” have returned with “drains”, their first offering of 2025 and a track that finds them digging deeper into heavier territory – quite literally, if vocalist Clari Freeman-Taylor’s fascination with urban infrastructure is anything to go by. Following their breakthrough 2024 debut EP ‘This Old House’, the band has decided to explore what Freeman-Taylor describes as “the bowels of the city”.

The track showcases Freeman-Taylor pushing her vocal range to new extremes, supported by bassist Saya Barbaglia and drummer David Addison, who weren’t content to stay in their comfort zone either. “drains” emerges as their darkest offering yet, built around distorted guitar work, a suitably deep bassline, and Freeman-Taylor’s progression from tender singing to what can only be described as primal screaming.

The inspiration behind the track stems from Freeman-Taylor’s curiosity about London’s hidden underground network of pipes and caves, combined with a friend’s promise: “if you bury yourself i will dig you out again.” She wanted to immortalise this sentiment because it made her feel warm, which is perhaps the most optimistic take on urban drainage systems in recent memory. The result is a driving track that embraces chaos, particularly toward its conclusion, where technical drumming meets fierce vocal delivery.