''Nation of Heat'' is

Joe Pug Joe Pug (born Joseph Pugliese, April 20, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter from Greenbelt, Maryland. He has released two Extended play, EPs, as well as the albums ''Messenger (Joe Pug Album), Messenger'', ''The Great Despiser'', ''Windfall ...

's debut EP. Pug recorded Nation of Heat's seven songs at a Chicago studio his friend had snuck him into when other musicians had cancelled. He self-released the EP and began shipping sampler CDs with some of its songs free of charge to whoever asked for a sample of his music. This unorthodox promotional strategy led to Pug selling 20,000 copies of ''Nation of Heat'', piquing the attention of Lightning Rod Records, the Nashville label with which he would eventually sign. The EP was a critical success, drawing comparisons to the work of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and

Josh Ritter Josh Ritter (born October 21, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author who performs and records with the Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006, he was named one of ...

. "Hymn #101," the album's opening song, drew special attention, being spotlighted on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's Second Stage music blog. In 2022, Pug released ''Nation of Heat Revisited'' which featured the same songs (in a different track order) but with added instrumentation.

Track listing

# "Hymn #101" – 4:40 # "Call It What You Will" – 2:56 # "Nobody's Man" – 3:36 # "Hymn #35" – 3:11 # "I Do My Father's Drugs" – 2:48 # "Speak Plainly, Diana" – 2:49 # "Nation of Heat" – 4:19

References

{{Authority control Joe Pug albums 2009 debut EPs