There are some songs that seem destined to be on movie soundtracks.
“Mary” by the band Only is one of those songs.
In these songs, the music is so evocative that you immediately picture vivid scenes within the first few seconds.
The track’s starting riff is redolent of bands like Turnover and Real Estate with their clean, meandering electric guitar lines.
You can’t help but envision the song accompanying scenes in a movie about two lovers torn apart.
The words of Only’s frontman Steve Zuretti echo this theme;
I met a girl and named her Mary.
I made her mine, then changed my mind,
now I stay up all night lying to myself.
Some of us have a problem with love. When we don’t have it, we crave it. But when we possess it, we don’t want it. Life then becomes a cycle of chasing, breaking up, and regret.
The singer “lies to himself” about the fact that the breakup doesn’t affect him, but he definitely wants his former lover again.
She came apart at the end of August,
summer hair dyed in her apartment.
Now I go to all the places we hung out.
It’s human to want the things you can’t have. Even if you were in a toxic relationship with someone completely wrong for you, you can’t help but miss them when they’re gone.
The crash of the cymbals then brings the instrumentals to a halt as Zuretti sings the one-lined chorus;
Well, who do you love?
The singer introspects and asks himself if it’s possible for him to genuinely love anyone.
You had a right to make me notice.
You did your best to wait in line,
but we got thinking we would burn bright.
At the start of relationships, couples often rush into love and make future plans without a concrete relationship in the present. The singer laments this kind of thinking, but he can’t stop.
I met a girl and named her Mary.
Well, who do you love?
The singer “names” the girl Mary in this song because it doesn’t really matter what name she has; the singer has been with many “Marys” but he still hasn’t found an enduring love.
With the exception of the choruses, the drums, guitar, and Zuretti’s vocals are persistent and dynamic, driving the song forward with a punch.
While the song’s lyrics lack depth, the instrumentality and vocals on the track is wonderful. The melodious, light electric guitar riff in particular makes the song a catchy indie rock number.
All in all, this is a decent effort from fledgling band with genuine potential in the indie rock genre.
