Manoeuvring early twenties regret and indecision with a newly acquired sense of self-assurance, the Australian indie rock group hit their stride on their debut album, Mount Zero.

There’s common ground to be found within the transitional nature of young adulthood. Between the uncertainty, losing expectations on what life will look like, or every decision feeling like it might define the trajectory of your existence, it can be isolating and gruesome. However, underneath this layer of isolation exists a comfort in knowing everyone is tackling this growth period on their own time, in their own unique way. The bond Swapmeet has shared since their band’s end-of-high-school inception tackles the lonesomeness of late adolescence with acceptance of the uncharted route that lies ahead.

The halfway point of the drive from their home in Adelaide, Australia, to Melbourne to play shows is a mountain that has become a guiding light for their latest album, Mount Zero. Subsequently named after the site they’d drive past but never through, the band, consisting of multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Venus O’Broin, Maxwell Elphick, Jack Medlyn, and Josh Doherty, turned the mountain into a symbol to summarise the places, people, and adventures they’ve observed within arm’s reach, but never partake in. Mount Zero soundtracks Swapmeet, bringing their individual reflections on first loves and disasters into a single collective story of navigating growth.

Released via LA-based label Winspear, Mount Zero sees Swapmeet harvest the fruits of their labour. Music poured out of them for years when a high school graduation party naturally brought them together, leading them to release their first genre-bending EP, “Oxalis”, in April 2024. The debut release features songs written across a three-year timespan, earning them praise as a refreshing voice in the Australian indie scene. Appraisal for Swapmeet continues to ameliorate with a vigorous debut carried by their unified front and 90s alt-rock and slowcore-inspired sound.

While their late teens to early 20s felt laced with ambiguity, Swapmeet are now displaying a confidence uncovered through embracing transition. Placing focus on honing their sound and finding intention in every detail, Mount Zero encapsulates how the quartet have remained true to themselves as an ensemble and as individual personalities. In an exclusive conversation with Wonderland, vocalist Elphick discusses the shift in perspective that Mount Zero presented to them, and the importance the band holds for all members.

Listen to Mount Zero…

Read the interview…

When you wrapped up/released your last EP in 2024 and prepared to work on Mount Zero, what intentions did you bring with you to hone in on your sound?

We aimed to be more deliberate with our sound and for Mount Zero, compared to “Oxalis”. We achieved this through limiting our time and the equipment we had access to. Our first few attempts at recording the album were all within our home studios where we are spoilt for time and gear, giving us endless possibilities. For our final attempt at recording the album, we went away and only brought what we could fit in our car. This resulted in us being more intentional with each sound that you hear on the record, rather than just adding something for the sake of it.

With that in mind, how do you go about blending your unique tastes or influences into a sound that feels cohesive and inspiring to each of you?

With the album this happened naturally for us. There is never just one of us recording or writing a song. We are always all in the room with equal voices, making sure each is heard within the recording. This ends in these songs having a blur of influences that balance out once finished. 

I read that as a band, you often begin songs by writing individually. What does it look/feel like for you to write from a place that reflects your individual experience, but finds common ground with the rest of the band? Does it come naturally?

A lot of our experiences as a band are shared. We have all known each other for a very long time so we’ve learnt to decipher what each other are writing about. Although it can be hard to write about an individual experience, it can make it easier to communicate what’s happening in our own lives without explicitly doing so. Even if something in the song is so personal, I like to think that whoever is listening has thought or experienced the same thing before me. 

Your album bio mentions how you turn the actual Mount Zero into a symbol for people you see but don’t meet, and experiences you observe but don’t explore. How has writing with this idea of symbolism played into the way you carry out your day to day lives?

It made us realise how important it is to find the time for yourselves and others, and that it’s also impossible to experience everything. When everything is happening so fast it can feel like you’re missing out on everything. 

Early adulthood and the loss of expectations that come with it seems to be a huge anchor for the album. What has practicing acceptance of this loss looked like for you as a band, and as individuals? 

It made us realise that it’s important to put in as much effort as possible into everything you can. Personally, it helped me to take more responsibility for writing and music. Even though it sounds so simple and obvious, I think we’ve realised that our music is dependent on us and we have to write and record to get it done. As a teenager it’s easy to think that things can just happen, but we’ve all learnt that we need to make things happen.

How has that strengthened your working and personal relationships to one another?

We’re all in it together. Swapmeet is so important to all of us and we’re all eager to keep doing it. It’s also a big excuse to see each other all the time. It can feel like a lot of relationships in early adulthood only revolve around work or have an element like going to a pub to be the only reason to see each other. Being in a band together means we get to travel and be surrounded by each other more than most friends get to, which we are all super grateful for.  

When you think of Mount Zero as a vehicle that turns regret and uncertainty into confidence, what is the underlying message or intention you aim to send to its listeners?

I don’t know if there’s necessarily a message I want to send to listeners with this record. I just hope people can relate little parts of their own lives to these songs. I often think of certain albums soundtracking small periods of my life, and I hope this can do the same for others.

Words – Izzy Petraglia