Swapmeet: “We ended up choosing the name because we thought it was cool”
Josh Doherty takes us through the journey of the fresh-faced Aussie quartet, on the road from academic beginnings to their first full-length album.
Photo: Josh Sabini
If you’re curious about the four-piece from Adelaide, Australia, behind the record, read on. This is Swapmeet, and here’s everything you should know.
Mount Zero is the group’s debut LP, following 2024’s extended play Oxalis.That selection of tracks was more stripped back, dream-pop, where the teasers so far from the upcoming album promise something punchier, harder-hitting. We got the chance to sit down with Josh Doherty, bassist for the group, and ask him all about the new album, favourite cuts, and Denny’s.
Hi, Josh! It’s only a couple of months until Mount Zero is out! How’s the band feeling?
Fluvoxamine is in effect. We chirp with the birds.
What’s the response been like so far?
The response has been somewhat overwhelming, in the best way. It is satisfying to see others respond to our music the same way we do. At a recent show, people were yelling the new song lyrics back to us, which is something we hadn’t really experienced before. We must remember to keep our ears partially covered, though, for every piece of feedback threatens to spoil something innocent and pure within. I cry into something sharp.
What’s the album about?
The record is more so a documentation of our own transition between adolescence and adulthood. A whole lot of heartbreak and kittens lost in the night.
When did you guys start recording?
We have been trying to record the album for a while now, but we didn’t properly start until June last year and got most of it smashed out in a now-hazy two weeks.
What was it like in the studio?
Vibe was freaky, it was like the movie Home Alone, and we were all Kevin.
What was the first track you wrote?
I think it would've been Halfway, this is a song we have been playing at shows for ages. The original was completely instrumental; the album version was rewritten the day of recording.
Was anything left on the cutting room floor?
We had a couple songs that we didn’t end up finishing because they didn’t seem like they fit. The rest was vacuumed.
What were the biggest influences when making Mount Zero?
Arrrrrrrrrrrmlock, because we worked with the Hammer and because we liked the way their music is soft, but it still hits. Banh Mi’s were also a big inspiration. Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was a morning routine listen during the week.
What’s your creative process like?
Every song’s different; some we play live to see what works, and some we record 100 tracks on and take away what doesn’t work. There isn’t really a set structure. We very much abide by the ‘throw everything at the wall and see what sticks’ approach.
What track from the album are you most proud of?
I think that My Heart Breaks ll, the album’s closer, makes us most proud. It was a real feat of collaboration that no one really saw coming, knocking at our door in the final hours of recording.
What is Mount Zero the soundtrack to?
People should be attempting the 75 Hard Challenge to our album. I think it’d work as a soundtrack to some intense fitness YouTube montage. Much like Ceiling Fan [from Oxalis], whichwas used for some snowboarding YouTube videos. Whatever works.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in creating the album?
Just getting it done. We recorded like fifteen demos of each song before we called it [the] final recording. It really took two weeks of isolation to near our mostly unattainable and imaginary standards for the songs.
How does Mount Zero compare to your debut EP, Oxalis?
It has grown. Some knots stay tied forever. I learnt to play the bass. Kind of.
I Know! is a bit punchier from some of the more stripped-back, dreamier pop of Oxalis. Can we expect the rest of the album to be a bit louder, a bit more in your face?
Expect the unexpected, baby goo-goo.
Where did ‘Swapmeet’ come from?
Maxwell went to a swap meet when he was a teen and bought a guitar and thought it was a good name. He then pitched it to his high school band and they hated it; they preferred ‘Bean Feast’. We then ended up choosing the name because we thought it was cool.
How did the band meet?
We met during high school time in 2020, we were all doing side projects at the time, and Venus stole us all and trapped us in a room, and we have been a ‘band’ ever since.
What’s the ultimate venue to play?
Denny’s in the US would be diabolical. @Dennys, hit us up.
It’s a worn-out question, but what advice would you give to an emerging artist or band?
Don’t take it too seriously. Have fun. Stay together. Use protection.
Swapmeet are further proof that the land down under is rich with musical talent, and ready to change the face of the indie scene. Mount Zero is out July 17th via Winspear.
You can also find this interview in print. Pre-order Issue 2 of The Indie Scene Magazine here.
