with the lyrics," Pug brought on producer Brian Deck, who he had known from his time in Chicago. The Great Despiser was released in April 2012.The A.V. Club described The Great Despiser as an album of literate regret, comparable to the work of John Prine, Josh Ritter, and Richard Buckner. The album's title track, "Hymn #76," which Paste Magazine described as "a fable of life and the reoccurring themes attached to growing older and moving on," is a continuation of the narrative in Nation of Heats "Hymn #35" and "Hymn #101." Break, Windfall, and Later Works After a heavy touring schedule in 2013, Pug considered quitting music. As he later told Denver's Westword that "hitting the road can make you go broke really quick" and that he "had expectations that were all out of whack." About the period, he wrote: However, in 2014, Pug took a break from touring, recommitting to, in his own words, "behaving like a human being again": He soon realized that he had the ability to give it all up, later telling American Songwriter: "I don't feel like I would sacrifice everything for music. Life is bigger than that." Coming out that turning point, he became engaged to fellow musician Jamie Zanelotti of The Hems and began writing again, penning what would eventually become his next album. Later that year, he began recording at producer Duane Lundy's Shangri-La Productions studio in Lexington, Kentucky, aiming to "capture the music just the way we play it, with minimal production." This period of reflection and recommitment culminated in the 2015 release of Windfall, Pug's third album. As a Paste review notes, the optimistic album "steps away from the more traditional Americana for a folk-soul hybrid that places greater emphasis on his vocals." The Lexington Herald-Leader praised the album's two-band approach as presenting an "elegiac, electric vitality" to the "unhurried solemnity" of the songs. Windfall's hopeful final track – "If Still It Can't Be Found," which featured Wilco's Pat Sansone on mellotron – received particular acclaim, with a Rolling Stone review noting that "it showcases the singer's unique and achingly honest point of view that spins lyrics into folk poetry." Joe Pug released The Flood in Color on July 19, 2019 and The Diving Sun on March 21, 2021. Influences Pug's lyrics has been noted for their literary techniques and allusions. Pug admits to this influence, citing various novelists, short