thistle.

Alt-rock newcomers thistle. sign to Venn Records (Bob Vylan, High Vis, Meryl Streek) and share blistering new single ‘it’s nice to see you, stranger’ (video here), out today (April 8th).

Forged in a garage in Northampton, and armed with a lo-fi, introspective yet hardcore sound, thistle have already captured the attention of BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1 and Radio X in their short time together; fusing elements of shoegaze, indie rock and hardcore, the band draws from a broad spectrum of influences, from Pavement to Polachek to sublime effect.

Today, they unleash their propulsive next single, ‘it’s nice to see you, stranger’, from their forthcoming debut EP. Entirely self-produced and recorded, they traverse the sonic spectrum of delicacy and brutality with ease; grinding guitars are juxtaposed with flashes of introspective emotion. An increasingly buzzy name on the live circuit, they effortlessly build tension and atmosphere, keeping audiences hooked on their every move. 

This single also heralds an exciting new chapter in their journey as they sign with Venn Records, an independent label renowned for fostering some of the UK’s most boundary-pushing punk, hardcore, and alt-rock acts such as High Vis, Meryl Streek and Bob Vylan. ‘It’s nice to see you, stranger’ follows on the heels of releases ‘bitebitebite’ (supported by the likes of Steve Lamacq and New Music Fix on BBC 6 Music) and most recent single ‘greys’ (released as part of a Slow Dance Records compilation).

Speaking ahead of their single release (and supports alongside Man/Woman/Chainsaw and Bdrmm), frontman Cameron Godfrey explained: “‘it’s nice to see you, stranger’ is about friendships that, in hindsight, felt forced or fleeting due to the circumstances—whether it was the environment or altered states I was in. At the time, they seemed to mean more to me than they did to them. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just a realisation that time moves on, and so should I.”

thistle.’s ‘it’s nice to see you, stranger’ (single) is out now via VENN Records and available on all digital platforms.

thistle. is Cameron Godrey (guitar/lead vocals), Carey Judwyn Rushton (bass / vocals), Lewis O’Grady (drums)