Adelaide’s rising alternative rock outfit Swapmeet are locking in their next step, announcing debut album ‘Mount Zero’ set for release July 17th via Winspear, alongside a new single ‘Sand’ that leans into the quieter corners of their sound.
After building momentum with ‘I Know!’, a track that cut through with jagged energy and call and response grit, ‘Sand’ feels like a deliberate shift. It’s softer on the surface, but there’s tension sitting underneath it.
The track moves slowly, carried by hushed vocals from Jack Medlyn and Venus O’Broin, with gentle guitars and subtle electronic touches filling the gaps, check it out below:
A slower burn with bite
‘Sand’ circles a familiar frustration, time slipping away, distractions creeping in, and that lingering self-awareness that you’re part of the problem.
“Sand is about wasting your own time, then being so, so mad at yourself. And a little bit mad at the people who make apps and phones so addictive.”
It’s a relatable spiral, especially for a band writing through the messy stretch between adolescence and adulthood. Where ‘I Know!’ felt immediate and restless, this one lingers longer, showing Swapmeet aren’t just chasing noise for the sake of it.
The accompanying video (above), directed by David Milan Kelly, tracks the band on the road through the US. It plays with that classic tour visual of staring out a car window, but there’s a subtle edge to it, movement without direction, change happening whether you’re ready or not.
‘Mount Zero’ signals a bigger step
If ‘Sand’ is any indication, ‘Mount Zero’ won’t sit comfortably in one lane, the record pulls together the band’s shared, multi-instrumental approach, with members swapping roles and stacking layers before stripping things back.
That process gives the album a sense of push and pull, airy moments sit alongside more jagged ideas, and the themes stay grounded in first experiences, first loves, first regrets, first real hits of reality landing a bit harder than expected.
There’s ambition here, but it doesn’t feel forced, Swapmeet are still figuring things out in real time, and that uncertainty is baked into the music.
Swapmeet ‘Mount Zero’ tracklist
- My Heart Breaks II
- I Know!
- Mount Zero
- Bonny
- Halfway
- 2 C U
- Seeds
- Sand
- Personal (Don’t Take It)
Pre order/save here
Back on home soil
After a heavy run overseas, including a stacked SXSW showing, Swapmeet are bringing it back home with a handful of Australian dates ahead of the album drop.
Australian Tour Dates
- Friday, May 8th – The Lord Gladstone, Sydney
- Saturday, May 9th – New Found Sound, Adelaide
- Thursday, June 11th – Phoenix Central Park, Sydney
- Saturday, June 20th – Against The Grain Festival, Brisbane
Find out more and get your tickets here.
For a band still early in their run, this feels like a defining stretch.
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