Eric D. Johnson's Fruit Bats have announced a new album. Their newest project, A River Running to Your Heart, is out April 14 on Merge Records.
As the first-ever Fruit Bats project to be self-produced by Johnson, the 11-track album will explore the meaning of home, a central concept of the band's music.
"Over the years there's been a lot of geography in my music, a lot of landscapes," Johnson said. "Sometimes the places are real, sometimes they're emotional. I've always liked the idea of songs and albums that exist in a continuum with one another. I'm not talking about some kind of deep series of concept albums, mind you. More like the idea that my songs are all pretty much tributaries of the same river."
Lead single "Rushin' River Valley" — which follows the November release of "Waking Up in Los Angeles" — certainly adheres to that theme, as Johnson ponders the idea of love using imagery of his wife's hometown over a steady drum beat and the twang of an acoustic guitar.
"This song is about true love, and the question of whether we are fated to be together or if it's all just universal chaos tossing us around," said Johnson. "It's also about ghosts and bad dreams and trying to move forward and climbing over a mountain and hoping to glimpse the other side."
Fruit Bats will begin touring in Indianapolis on April 12. The band's Canadian dates come in Toronto at the Phoenix Concert Theatre on April 18 and their final stop in Vancouver at the Commodore Ballroom on May 27. Tickets are available now at Fruit Bats' official website.
Listen to "Rushin' River Valley" below, where you'll also find the album's tracklisting and Fruit Bats' upcoming tour dates.
A River Running to Your Heart:
1. Dim North Star
2. Rushin' River Valley
3. See the World by Night
4. Tacoma
5. Waking Up in Los Angeles
6. We Used to Live Here
7. It All Comes Back
8. Sick of This Feeling
9. The Deep Well
10. Meridian
11. Jesus Tap Dancing Christ (It's Good to Be Home)
Fruit Bats 2023 Tour Dates:
04/12 Indianapolis, IN - Hi-Fi
04/13 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
04/14 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
04/15 Maquoketa, IA - Codfish Hollow
04/16 Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
04/18 Toronto, ON - Phoenix Theatre
04/19 Philadelphia, PA - Brooklyn Bowl
04/20 New York, NY - Webster Hall
04/21 Boston, MA - Royale
04/22 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
04/25 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
04/27 Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
04/28 Scaly Mountain, NC - Bear Shadow +
04/29 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
04/30 Jacksonville, FL - Intuition Ale Works
05/10 San Diego, CA - Belly Up Tavern
05/11 Los Angeles, CA - The Theatre at Ace Hotel
05/12 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
05/13 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
05/14 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
05/17 Austin, TX - Mohawk
05/19 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
05/20 Salt Lake City, UT - The Commonwealth Room
05/21 Bozeman, MT - The Elm
05/24 Boise, ID - Treefort Music Hall
05/25 Portland, OR - Revolution Hall
05/26 Seattle, WA - Showbox Market
05/27 Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
+ with Spoon
As the first-ever Fruit Bats project to be self-produced by Johnson, the 11-track album will explore the meaning of home, a central concept of the band's music.
"Over the years there's been a lot of geography in my music, a lot of landscapes," Johnson said. "Sometimes the places are real, sometimes they're emotional. I've always liked the idea of songs and albums that exist in a continuum with one another. I'm not talking about some kind of deep series of concept albums, mind you. More like the idea that my songs are all pretty much tributaries of the same river."
Lead single "Rushin' River Valley" — which follows the November release of "Waking Up in Los Angeles" — certainly adheres to that theme, as Johnson ponders the idea of love using imagery of his wife's hometown over a steady drum beat and the twang of an acoustic guitar.
"This song is about true love, and the question of whether we are fated to be together or if it's all just universal chaos tossing us around," said Johnson. "It's also about ghosts and bad dreams and trying to move forward and climbing over a mountain and hoping to glimpse the other side."
Fruit Bats will begin touring in Indianapolis on April 12. The band's Canadian dates come in Toronto at the Phoenix Concert Theatre on April 18 and their final stop in Vancouver at the Commodore Ballroom on May 27. Tickets are available now at Fruit Bats' official website.
Listen to "Rushin' River Valley" below, where you'll also find the album's tracklisting and Fruit Bats' upcoming tour dates.
A River Running to Your Heart:
1. Dim North Star
2. Rushin' River Valley
3. See the World by Night
4. Tacoma
5. Waking Up in Los Angeles
6. We Used to Live Here
7. It All Comes Back
8. Sick of This Feeling
9. The Deep Well
10. Meridian
11. Jesus Tap Dancing Christ (It's Good to Be Home)
Fruit Bats 2023 Tour Dates:
04/12 Indianapolis, IN - Hi-Fi
04/13 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
04/14 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
04/15 Maquoketa, IA - Codfish Hollow
04/16 Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
04/18 Toronto, ON - Phoenix Theatre
04/19 Philadelphia, PA - Brooklyn Bowl
04/20 New York, NY - Webster Hall
04/21 Boston, MA - Royale
04/22 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
04/25 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
04/27 Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
04/28 Scaly Mountain, NC - Bear Shadow +
04/29 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
04/30 Jacksonville, FL - Intuition Ale Works
05/10 San Diego, CA - Belly Up Tavern
05/11 Los Angeles, CA - The Theatre at Ace Hotel
05/12 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
05/13 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
05/14 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
05/17 Austin, TX - Mohawk
05/19 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
05/20 Salt Lake City, UT - The Commonwealth Room
05/21 Bozeman, MT - The Elm
05/24 Boise, ID - Treefort Music Hall
05/25 Portland, OR - Revolution Hall
05/26 Seattle, WA - Showbox Market
05/27 Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
+ with Spoon