mary in the junkyard | Artist to Watch – August 2026

Hometown: London, England

Why They’re WXPN’s Artists To Watch: mary in the junkyard is the hottest indie art-rock outfit out of the UK right now. Their debut album, Role Model Hermit, dropped one month ago to the day, and has received glowing reviews from Far Out, Pitchfork, and Clash.

The band—formed in 2022 when vocalist-guitarist Clari Freeman-Taylor booked a gig and built out the band with viola player and bassist Saya Barbaglia and drummer David Addison—has already hit milestone numbers on Spotify, with more than half a million monthly listeners spinning their songs.

Being a three-piece, one might assume their sound is spartan and austere. Not the case. It seems as though Freeman-Taylor and Barbaglia’s classical training bleeds into their songs, infusing studio cuts, such as the songs “Mouse” and “Crash Landing,” with a sense of scale that many smaller outfits strive to achieve, yet often fall short. Their most popular song, “Blood,” kicks off with a mathy, almost Midwest emo, guitar riff that digs its hooks into listeners instantly.

You Might Know Them From: mary in the junkyard in 2025 supported Wet Leg on their “Moisturizer” tour, which brought them to Franklin Music Hall here in Philly. You may have also seen one of their various live performances online, which have garnered tens of thousands of views.

Fun Fact: Freeman-Taylor and Barbaglia met when they were just 14 years old at a classical music summer camp. Another fun fact; their song “New Muscles” is about Addison joining a gym and was originally written on an accordion.

Essential Tracks: “Blood,” “New Muscles,” “Seek And Destroy,” “Mouse.”

Catch Them Live: They’ll be at PhilaMOCA on Nov. 21 to close out their headlining US tour. Get tickets here. If you can’t make to to that show, they’re playing Washington DC the night before and in Brooklyn on Nov. 18.