PUTTING together the Meet the Band feature each week is always a curious exercise.

While giving a platform to new up and coming music acts, it’s always exciting to see many progress and flourish in the months afterwards.

One such act was West Wales duo Paper Aeroplanes – Sarah Howells and Richard Llewellyn – who since been profiled in our Meet the Band feature last June, have toured relentlessly around the UK, selling out venues and building an increasingly strong fan base.

Last year alone they played more than 100 dates in the UK, as well as some festivals like Isle of White and The Secret Garden.

“Richard and I have been playing together for more than five years now,” Sarah tells me, “before that, we were playing in other bands.

Now, we’re releasing our new album and touring really established venues, where we are getting lots of people coming to see us live and seeing lots of interest from new fans.”

Paper Aeroplanes’ intimate folk-rock sound has been expanded somewhat for their new album Little Letters, which features a fuller sound, courtesy of a double bass and drums.

“It was really exciting, because it was the first time we’d put our drummer Ryan Aston and John Parker (of Nizlopi) on double bass on to the recordings,” continues Sarah, “Everyone was really into the music and excited to be working on these songs and that shows through. It was different for Richard and myself because normally we are in complete control of the sound because we do it all ourselves. This time it was a bit more of collaboration with our musician friends.”

Paper Aeroplanes will also be taking their fuller sound on to the road. “We’re still trying to maintain the intimate sound of the quieter songs,” says Sarah, “it’s not really changed dramatically, but it will definitely have more energy brought to the stage by the drums and the bass.”

The new album throws up a variety of different sounds: while When the Windows shook borders on rock, Singing to Elvis is more pop ballad, while Multiple Love has a free-resonating piano sound.

“I think it’s really hard to find people to compare us to,” says Sarah, “I can never put my finger on it. It’s not like its crazy Avant- Garde or new sound or anything.

It’s partly growing up in west Wales before the internet was a huge deal, there was not much external influence as far as music was concerned – it was all about your parents’ record collections and what you could find.”

The album is very much focused on personal experiences. When The Windows Shook is about a series of events in Sarah’s home town of Milford Haven, including a 1994 local oil refinery explosion which caused the windows in Sarah’s family’s home to crack, the 1996 Sea Empress oil spill disaster and the death of four people including their neighbour in another explosion at the Chevron Refinery in 2011.

The album also focuses on how people communicate with each other.

“I guess it took on the theme of letters and communicating with people,” says Sarah, “There are so many different ways you can communicate these days.

“We like to think that our lyrics reflect communication between people and the things that go on under the surface.”

With several festivals booked including The Isle of Wight and Wynchford, 2013 looks like it will continue to be busy as they focus on their new album.

However Sarah and Richard still find time to communicate with fans and keep them updated via social media.

“It’s a real nice personal touch and we always maintain those sites on our own,” says Sarah, “It’s great. It’s more about connecting with people.”

● Paper Aeroplanes play Glee Club Cardiff on May 26, visit glee.co.uk for full details.