This is not the first time I have written about a Swancore band, and it will surely not be the last. However, the one gracing my ears right now is I Met a Yeti, an up-and-coming post-hardcore powerhouse. Camp Yeti, released on October 11th, flew under my radar for a month, but upon my first listen, I knew I was in for a treat. While this is only five tracks long, each is profound and sits apart from each other comfortably.

I became aware of the band because I am friends with guitarist Anthony Pacheco, who previously played in Dwellings (another band due for a review). We met through a Facebook group dedicated to Dance Gavin Dance, who influenced these bands and pioneered the genre of Swancore. I came to love Dwellings’ Lavender Town, which bore resemblances to other bands in the genre, such as Hail the Sun and Sianvar, and these influences are also evident in I Met a Yeti.

The record starts with the pounding of bassist Lui Wancel, opening a brief 1:28 track, “Magic, Madness, and Sadness,” which utilizes the composition of a full song instead of an introduction. Short songs can be forgettable, but this one is concise and tells enough of a story for the listener to get invested while not dragging itself out. The instruments really kick in for song #2, “All Magic Users Swim in the Loomy Gloom,” a nice Adventure Time reference. The slamming double-bass of drummer Alex Torresola matches the consistent, compelling riffs Anthony pushes out throughout the entire song. Vocalist Daisy Chamberlin layers her vocals beautifully to make for a pleasant juxtaposition to the heavy instrumentation.

While it treads familiar post-hardcore ground, I Met a Yeti takes a few risks on Camp Yeti that help to make the record more intricate and fascinating. For example, the auto-tuned vocals in “Honey Bee” make for a unique sound that would otherwise fit in the other end of this decade in a band like Attack Attack! or Famous Last Words. Incorporating Andy Cizek, one of my all-time favorite vocalists, into “Cherry Blossom,” was welcome to my ears, and I was surprised that he didn’t steal the spotlight, as Daisy’s performance in the song, clean and unclean vocals alike, is monumental.

Camp Yeti is one in a long line of incredible post-hardcore EPs without a moment of filler. I definitely prefer when bands can pump out an EP to fully showcase their talents, as opposed to an album, where a band is pressured to fit 30 minutes of music and to make it a thorough listen. I have fallen for bands such as Outline in Color, Coletta, and now I Met a Yeti, thanks to a succinct, enjoyable outing.

I Met a Yeti have already garnered a respectable following, complete with their own Facebook group and several shows under their belt already. They have just announced a tour with Adventurer headlining to start the year off right. Perhaps there will be a full-length from Yeti in 2020, which I await with bated breath, but I will be jamming Camp Yeti in the meantime, and you should, too!

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