Brooklyn's Dougie Poole puts his eccentric stamp on country music, melding eerie D.I.Y. bedroom pop textures with a love for classic honky tonk and lonesome, earthy songwriting. His self-released, home-recorded debut, Wideass Highway, earned him a contract with Wharf Cat Records, which issued his more expansive follow-up, The Freelancer's Blues, in 2020.

Originally based in Providence, Rhode Island, Poole moved to Brooklyn and immersed himself in New York's indie underground, pairing his old-school country influences with synth pop and experimental music. Crooning in a low baritone over drum machines, steel guitar, and ambient synths, he established a sort of bedroom country vibe with his 2016 Olneyville System Special EP, then doubled down on the atmospheric approach for his 2017 debut, Wideass Highway. Earning plaudits for crafting modern country music for a young genre-averse urban crowd, Poole shared shows with eclectic acts like Jerry Paper, Bong Wish, and Drugdealer, guesting on the latter's 2019's album Raw Honey. After signing with New York indie Wharf Cat, he recorded his 2020 sophomore album, The Freelancer's Blues, which featured a full band and tonally leaned more toward the organic side of country music. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi