FROM HORSE LORRY TO OPEN ROAD: TRAVELLING TROUBADOUR SORREL NATION RELEASES ‘CREEPING THYME’
Travelling folk-Americana singer-songwriter Sorrel Nation releases the single ‘Creeping Thyme’ tomorrow, Friday 25 September — the title track from her much-anticipated second album, Creeping Thyme, out 23 October.
But for Sorrel, this isn’t simply an album about life on the road. It is an album shaped by the way she has chosen to live.
When she isn’t touring the UK, Sorrel lives back home on the Isle of Wight in Bertha, her converted horse lorry. Much of the rest of the year is spent travelling the country in Dory, her campervan, performing, working at festivals and writing songs along the way.
It is a lifestyle that has become central to Sorrel’s music.
Much of Creeping Thyme was written between those two worlds — at home on the Isle of Wight and out on the open road — with many of the songs taking shape outdoors, surrounded by the countryside and changing seasons.
Nature, home, relationships and the passing of time run through the album, alongside a recurring sense of stepping away from the noise of modern life and reconnecting with what really matters.
‘Creeping Thyme’ itself reflects on the way time can creep up on you, prompting thoughts about what becomes important as life moves on and where your path is heading. The title is also a play on words, drawing on the folklore surrounding the ancient wild herb Creeping Thyme, traditionally associated with courage, protection, peace, magic and memory.
“This album is a reflection on the people and places that have tugged at my heartstrings and shaped my world, helping me feel grounded and at home,” says Sorrel. “Learning from nature and the changing seasons has taught me to love the simplest things and to stay resilient through life’s strife.”
Fittingly, Sorrel recorded the album at Sickroom Studio in rural Norfolk, surrounded by beautiful countryside, alongside a close-knit group of musician friends — many of whom, like Sorrel, spend much of the year travelling, working festivals and playing shows together.
The resulting record draws on British and American folk, old-time music and country, while creating a sound that is distinctly Sorrel’s own.
‘Creeping Thyme’ follows the release of ‘Ran Jonny Ran’ and Sorrel’s acclaimed interpretation of Sandy Denny’s ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’. The latter has particular significance for Sorrel: after performing the song at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention in 2022, it became a defining part of her live repertoire.
In 2026 — 60 years after Sandy Denny wrote the song — Sorrel was personally invited by Sandy’s daughter, Georgia Rose Lucas, to contribute to the book Sandy Denny: A People’s History, alongside a host of significant names from the folk world.
The invitation reflects Sorrel’s growing standing within the contemporary folk community as she continues to tour extensively across the UK and appear at festivals including Black Deer, the Isle of Wight Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival and Beautiful Days.
And yes — Sorrel Nation really is her name, despite many people assuming it must be the name of a band or stage persona.
With Creeping Thyme approaching on 23 October, Sorrel continues to carve out a distinctive place within the folk-Americana scene — one shaped as much by the open road, the countryside and an unconventional way of life as it is by music.
Creeping Thyme is released on 23 October 2026 on CD and digital, with vinyl to follow in spring 2027.
‘Creeping Thyme’ single is released Friday 25 September 2026.
