Dougie Poole

Dougie Poole applies a singular twist to country traditions from his Brooklyn base, fusing unsettling self-made bedroom pop atmospheres with deep appreciation for vintage honky-tonk and plainspoken, grounded lyricism. His independently issued, home-captured first album Wideass Highway secured a deal with Wharf Cat Records, which released the more wide-ranging The Freelancer's Blues in 2020.

Having started out in Providence, Rhode Island, Poole settled in Brooklyn and dove into the city’s independent music community, merging his classic country touchstones with synth pop and boundary-pushing sounds. Singing in a deep baritone across drum machines, steel guitar, and drifting synthesizers, he shaped an intimate country mood on the 2016 Olneyville System Special EP before extending that spacious style on his 2017 debut Wideass Highway. Praised for creating contemporary country aimed at a youthful, genre-resistant city audience, Poole appeared on bills with acts such as Jerry Paper, Bong Wish, and Drugdealer, contributing to the latter’s 2019 album Raw Honey. Following his signing to the New York independent Wharf Cat, he cut his 2020 sophomore release The Freelancer's Blues with a complete ensemble, steering the sound closer to the natural side of country music.