[Cover photo credit to Ryan Nolan]
15 years ago, Joe Pug snuck into a Chicago studio to record his debut EP, Nation of Heat. He’s now going to be releasing an entirely new album titled Nation of Heat/ Revisited which “transforms” the songs and seeks to “open them up to new possibilities.” The album arrives Friday, July 22nd, 2022.
Friends who contributed to the new album have included Brandon Flowers (The Killers), Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket), Derry deBorja (Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit) and Courtney Hartman, among others. The single “Hymn #35 | Revisited” is out now, and features Brandon Flowers of The Killers.
Joe Pug reflects:
What this project showed me is that there are a lot of different forms of wealth in this world and there’s a very important kind of wealth that I didn’t even know I had. have this community that is committed to the same artistic values that I’m committed to.
The relationship between that first EP and the new release is nuanced, as Joe Pug explains:
I’ve never been far away from them. These songs are how I’ve paid my rent and my mortgage. They’re how I’ve bought my kids diapers. When I got out on the road, these are the songs that people want to hear, and they’re the songs I want to give people. I’ve spent more than a decade playing them in different cities all over America, all over the English-speaking world, and I trust that they’re able to convey what I want them to convey. For a certain type of listener, I know they’re going to connect.
Joe Pug will be making the following U.S. appearances in 2022:
JULY
02 — Three Oaks, MI — Acorn Theater
04 — Berwyn, IL — Fitzgerald’s American Music Festival 2022
SEPTEMBER
07 — Park City, UT — Park City Song Summit 2022
OCTOBER
14 — San Francisco, CA — The Chapel
15 — Menlo Park, CA — The Guild Theatre
16 — Highland Park, CA — The Lodge Room
NOVEMBER
17 — Austin, TX — 3TEN
19 — Houston, TX — McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
DECEMBER
01 — St. Paul, MN — Turf Club
02 — Chicago, IL — Hideout
03 — Chicago, IL — Hideout
