If a band is like a relationship, well… the Pinx needed some time apart to make it work. From 2007 to 2012, their star was on the rise. They were blowing up in the southern United States for their no-holds-barred brand of real rock ‘n’ roll, they were invited to open for Ben Harper and Relentless7 and they even received placements during ESPN and Fox Sports highlights.

Then they hit a wall. Frontman, guitar player and producer, Adam McIntyre, joined up Atlanta rockers StoneRider and headed off to tour Europe, sharing stages with Blackberry Smoke, Living Colour and Warren Haynes. But, as McIntyre recalls, it was always a vacation—the Pinx were in his mind the whole way, and eventually, “it was time to come back home.” The started up as strong as ever, with a new lineup of second guitar player Chance McColl, bassist, Jon Lee and drummer, Dwayne Jones, and in May of this year released their new LP, Freedom.

Today, Elmore is premiering the Pinx’ new holiday single, a cover of Johnny Moore’s 1947 R&B classic “Merry Christmas Baby,” made famous by Otis Redding. McIntyre notes, “this cover is the very first in a series of Stax songs we’re going to do, the PinxStax series, over the next year or two, starting with this Christmas tune… so this one is PinxStaxMas! The song predates Otis Redding’s version, but we basically do Otis Redding’s version. He never made any money on this one, but we figured we’d start off with an Otis Redding cover, since he’s the one who put Stax on the map.”

From the very first note, this is one of those holiday songs that you’re likely to sneak a listen to no matter the season. It has a jangling good time, McIntyre’s soulful vocals leading the track, giving the holidays a sexy twist. The jingle of bells mingle with the strut of electric guitar for a fun new Xmas classic.

Find the guys on Facebook and Bandcamp, where you can buy your own copy of Freedom. Listen to “Merry Christmas Baby” below.