Pug Johnson Releases Second Single 'Second Chances' From Upcoming LP

The elusive one-two punch of a heartache dance number lives in the deepest core of the country music canon. Songs like Emmylou Harris's 1977 take on Delbert McClinton's 'Two More Bottles of Wine' or the more recent Ella Langley mega-hit 'Choosin' Texas' straddle that fine line between needing to be digested alone at home and being better served in togetherness on a packed dance floor. This week, Texas songwriter and recording artist Pug Johnson entered the discussion with his latest single, 'Second Chances.'

'Well I was fond of strangers, and she forgave my sin, but the nightlife of the local bar made me break her heart again,' sings Johnson, setting the scene for his honky-tonk hurting song; a self-inflicted hurt, but hurt nonetheless.

Johnson's quick-witted, pan-Texas style is on full display from the fiddle and steel kickoff, but it really shines as the song's first turnaround hits at the end of the verse. 'And the urge grew only stronger, and I broke her heart once more. I wish they served second chances at the honky-tonk next door,' Johnson delivers with his signature, sly gusto.

Throughout 'Second Chances,' Johnson reminds listeners of the command he has not just over the songwriting process—Twangville called him a 'helluva storyteller' on his last LP, El Cabron—but of the genuine nature of the final product, a bona fide country music barroom anthem.

''Cause if those neon lights could show the way back into her arms And whiskey neat could kill the pain coming from my heart If the smoke could cloud my memory, I'd forget what I was drinking for I wish they served second chances at the honky-tonk next door'

'Second Chances' is the latest single from Johnson's upcoming album, From a Beaumont Bar—out October 23rd on Break Maiden Records and Thirty Tigers. For his latest, Johnson set out to make the kind of heartbreak album he grew up loving. 'One that could stand alongside records like Jerry Lee Lewis' When Two Worlds Collide or Merle Haggard's Serving 190 Proof,' he says.

Johnson used that set of coordinates to make his most cohesive album yet. 'Every song is about a failed relationship in some capacity, but they're all different kinds of heartbreak,' he says about From a Beaumont Bar's tracklist. 'Some are funny, some are regretful, some are full of hope, and some just hurt. Together, they tell the story of a chapter of my life that I finally felt ready to write about.'

'The bars in these songs are real places, and a lot of the stories come from things I witnessed, lived through, or carried with me for years,' says Johnson. 'It's a record about heartbreak, hindsight, and realizing that none of us are as alone in those moments as we think we are. More than anything, I hope people hear these songs the same way I heard the country records I grew up with—that feeling of, 'I'm not alone, and I'm going to make it through this.' If this album gives someone that feeling, then I did what I set out to do.'

Leading up to the release of his new album, Johnson will be making several special tour stops around his home state of Texas—including Lubbock and Amarillo this weekend—and a special appearance at Nashville's 3rd and Lindsley. A list of tour dates can be found below or at pugjohnson.com.

From a Beaumont Bar Tracklist

Bubbles in My Beer

Thirsty's

Where Dowlen Meets Phelan

Tucson Bar

Local

Shuckin' and Jivin'

Just to Love You

John Wayne's

Second Chances

Can't Fall In Love With You

The Closest Thing To You

Hangaround

Back to Thirsty's

If I Told You

Lowering The Bar

Tour Dates

September 25 - Lubbock, TX - Charley B's

September 26 - Amarillo, TX - Golden Light Cantina

October 18 - Anna, TX - Gar Hole

October 20 - Nashville, TN - 3rd and Lindsley

October 23 - Houston, TX - McGonigel's Mucky Duck

October 30 - Helotes, TX - John T. Floore's Country Store

About Pug Johnson

Raised on the bars and backroads of Beaumont, Texas, recording artist and songwriter Pug Johnson's mission is simple: be a gateway. He wants listeners who think they don't like country to find him, feel something, and go digging into the long, rich history the genre was built on. On his third full‑length, From a Beaumont Bar, Johnson doesn't soften the past so much as define it, turning The Bruises and barroom debris of his messier years into solid country gold heartbreak songs – sharpened by hindsight and delivered in a borderline‑nasal drawl that probably owes Shotgun Willie a few rounds.

The result is a rueful songbook that doesn't romanticize the past so much as report it, line by line, from a stool that's seen too much. Deliberately old‑fashioned in the best way, the record nods to Bob Wills, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Merle Haggard while staying rooted in lived experience. By mining the memories of his past mistakes and the musical legacies of his heroes, Johnson crafted a collection that not only bears the weight of history but promises to blossom into something timeless.