The first time I heard of Adelaide-based band Swapmeet was at the John Curtin Hotel on a random mid-semester Tuesday afternoon, courtesy of a short lived situationship. Their unmistakable sound blasted through the pub’s speakers, cutting through the venue’s usual din, and fortunately my companion had the good sense to Shazam it. Initially, I approached Swapmeet’s music with mild resentment, as a consequence of their inconvenient associations. Annoyingly, however the music was, and remains in my humble opinion—very good. Before long, my reluctant curiosity has given way to a regular feature in my playlists, so when they dropped their debut album Mount Zero in early July, I eagerly tuned in. 

While Swapmeet's 2024 record Oxtails undoubtedly remains my preference, I was by no means disappointed by their latest work. Indeed, its nine intimate and raw tracks skillfully explore the complexity and messiness of early adulthood; short-lived relationships, missed opportunities and imagined futures. The album takes its title from the ominously named Mount Zero, a mountain the band had repeatedly passed while travelling between Adelaide and Melbourne but never ended up visiting. Rather fittingly, the record is preoccupied with places never reached and lives never quite lived. 

This theme is evident throughout the album; most songs are short, sweet and punchy, wasting little time before fully announcing themselves. Its opener I Know! is dominated by restless energy, its deadpan vocal delivery making each sudden burst of distortion feel even more vigorous. This sonic experimentation carries across the rest of the track—through the enveloping wall of sound in Bonny, the delicate intimacy of Halfway and the heartfelt 2 C U. Throughout, Swapmeet moves between the grungy emotional depth of bands such as Big Thief and Pinegrove and the heavier, blown-out guitars of Slow Pulp.

My favourite track is undoubtedly Seeds, its use of grungy, distorted guitars creates a raw and buzzing track, evoking bands such as Wednesday and Feeble Little Horse. However, the song itself never feels derivative, channeling these much loved influences into something of their own. Mount Zero ends on the expansive My Heart Breaks II, a six-minute lamentation of regret that crescendos before abruptly ending. It is a fitting conclusion to a record so concerned with unfinished relationships and unrealised futures, and rather than tying these experiences into a neat resolution, Swapmeet leaves them suspended in all their discomfort. 

Mount Zero is one album you should not miss, marking Swapmeet as a band to keep an eye on, and those lucky enough to have secured tickets to their now sold-out shows this week at the Northcote Social Club on the 17th and 18th of September, supported by Dogworld and Ebop, can expect to hear its innovative and resonant sound at full volume. Indeed, if there is one thing to be salvaged from an undefined relationship, apparently, it is the discovery of another excellent band.