mary in the junkyard – New Muscles

South London trio mary in the junkyard have shared “New Muscles”, the third single from their debut album Role Model Hermit, out July 3 via AMF Records. We’ve covered both previous singles: Crash Landing (W13) and Candelabra (W17). The band is Clari Freeman-Taylor on vocals, guitar, cello, viola and violin; Saya Barbaglia on bass, viola and violin; and David Addison on drums.

“New Muscles” is a sharp pivot from the previous two singles. Where “Crash Landing” built on harmonium drones and trip-hop weight, and “Candelabra” stripped back to a solo voice and acoustic guitar, this one is playful and kinetic. The melody was originally composed on an accordion, and the band are upfront about the lyrical inspiration: David joining a gym. That lightness is entirely intentional, and the track earns it. Addison’s rolling percussion drives the whole thing, Freeman-Taylor half-raps through the verses with a kind of deadpan confidence, and wordless vocal harmonies float over the top in a way that genuinely does sound like a twisted superhero theme. It had become a live favourite during the Wet Leg support tour, which explains the settled, assured feel of the recording. Produced by Oli Bayston and Ben Baptie, it lands somewhere between art-pop and something harder to name. The fact that three singles this different can plausibly belong to the same debut album is the most interesting thing mary in the junkyard have communicated about Role Model Hermit so far.

The band is currently in North America for co-headline dates with Dove Ellis, including sold-out nights at the Bowery Ballroom in New York on May 30 and 31. A full headline tour follows: UK in-stores in July, headline dates across the UK and Ireland in September, Europe in October, and North America in November.

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Tour Dates:

North America (co-headline with Dove Ellis):

• May 27 — Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Forever Cemetery
• May 29 — Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Forever Cemetery
• May 30 — New York, NY — Bowery Ballroom
• May 31 — New York, NY — Bowery Ballroom

UK In-Stores:

• Jul 02 — Kingston — Banquet Records
• Jul 03 — Brighton — Resident
• Jul 04 — London — Rough Trade East
• Jul 05 — Bristol — Rough Trade Bristol
• Jul 06 — Nottingham — Rough Trade Nottingham
• Jul 07 — Liverpool — Rough Trade Liverpool
• Jul 08 — Leeds — Vinyl Whistle
• Jul 09 — Manchester — HMV
• Jul 10 — Glasgow — Assai Glasgow

UK & Ireland:

• Sep 22 — Dublin, IE — The Grand Social
• Sep 23 — Belfast, NI — Ulster Sports Club
• Sep 25 — Edinburgh — Cabaret Voltaire
• Sep 26 — Leeds — Brudenell Social Club
• Sep 27 — Birmingham — Hare and Hounds
• Sep 29 — Manchester — Gorilla
• Sep 30 — London — Heaven
• Oct 01 — Bristol — Exchange
• Oct 02 — Hitchin — Club 85

Europe:

• Oct 05 — Paris, FR — La Bellevilloise
• Oct 06 — Brussels, BE — Botanique, The Rotonde
• Oct 07 — Rotterdam, NL — Rotown
• Oct 08 — Amsterdam, NL — Bitterzoet

North America:

• Nov 02 — Los Angeles, CA — Zebulon
• Nov 04 — San Francisco, CA — Rickshaw Stop
• Nov 06 — Portland, OR — Mississippi Studios
• Nov 07 — Seattle, WA — Barboza
• Nov 10 — Minneapolis, MN — 7th St Entry
• Nov 11 — Chicago, IL — Empty Bottle
• Nov 13 — Toronto, ON — The Garrison
• Nov 14 — Montreal, QC — Petit Campus
• Nov 18 — Brooklyn, NY — Baby’s All Right
• Nov 20 — Washington, DC — DC9
• Nov 21 — Philadelphia, PA — PhilaMOCA