Cover photo: Thistledown at The Bay View, Swansea (© Damien Rosser Photography)

Thistledown have released full-length previews of tracks from their new EP.

Lead singers Loz Fancourt and Nathan Laurence have been performing contemporary original folk music, separately and together, at several local festivals and venues in the Swansea area. Thistledown's sound has evolved from Loz and Nathan's collaborations with several local musicians over the past few years, including Jamie Nemeth (Henry Marten's Ghost, Bigfoot), Adam Carter (Nucleus), James Beck and Josh Ace (Ringolevio, Chineapple Punks).

The current five-piece line-up include Loz (guitar, lead vocals), Nathan (guitar, mandola, flute, lead vocals), Jamie (fiddle), Adam (drums, backing vocals), and Billy Morris on bass guitar, creating a catchy folk-rock sound that has been described by one fan as "modern celtic".

'The Girl In The Ink' contains numerous references to the Swansea music scene, already prompting some fans to quote the song on their social network statuses, and has already received airplay on Off The Chart Radio, where it is currently being featured on their weekly listener-driven unsigned chart show, The Unchart. This song, as well as 'Rags and Riches', 'You Are' and 'I've Been Told' (featuring James Beck on electric guitar) can be listened to using the player below.

Their next gig will be at The Uplands Tavern, Swansea on Boxing Day. The event is free, with support from Josh Ace and Steffan Tucker.

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