When Polecat had their very first rehearsal in 2010, some of the members hadn’t even met each other before, but you’d never guess it knowing that they’ve since played over 400 shows bustling with chemistry and character. Each member comes from a different location and radically different musical background which is the most successful part of the band. Combining genres like bluegrass, folk, Celtic music, rock and more, Polecat are hard to define, opting for the ambiguous self-description of “stomp-grass Americana.”

Even the name sounds gritty, but the music itself is an intense combination of multi-instrumentation and pure harmony, as demonstrated on “Christine,” a single off Polecat’s upcoming record, Into The Wind, releasing this Friday. The track is a journey into the musical minds of each member, beginning with a classic rock bass and guitar line, leading right to an abrupt folk rhythm, and launching into rustic vocals with countrified lyrics. The music is an amalgamation of all types of influences but the songwriting resulted in just one message: a visceral longing for Christine. When Jeremy Elliott sings “Christine, you got a hold on my heart/Tighter than a bear can squeeze/Never saw it comin’ and I wasn’t prepared/Boy, it scared the life out of me,” we can feel the ache and pull in his rugged vocals, mimicked by the roots melody but alleviated by the rock rhythms. “Christine” is a frenzy of good-hearted folk music you can dance to and lyrics you can relate to.

Listen to the track below and connect with Polecat on Facebook: