Label: Merge
Released 4/14/2023
A River Running to Your Heart, the new album from Eric D. Johnson's long-running folk rock outfit Fruit Bats, represents the fullest realization of his creative vision to date. It’s a sonically diverse effort that largely explores the importance of what it means to be home, both physically and spiritually. And while that might seem like a peculiar focus for an artist who’s constantly in motion, for Fruit Bats, home can take many forms—from the obvious to the obscure. The album will land in stores on CD, LP & Peak Vinyl LP (opaque blue & white color vinyl) on April 14th, 2023. Self-produced by Johnson—a first for Fruit Bats—with Jeremy Harris at Panoramic House just north of San Francisco, it’s Fruit Bats’ tenth full-length release. The album finds the project in the middle of a people-powered climb leading to the biggest shows, loudest accolades, and most enthusiastic new fans in Fruit Bats history! It’s hard to pinpoint a single reason for this mid-career resurgence. But after two decades of making music, hard-earned emotional maturity has clearly seeped into Johnson’s already inviting songs, resulting in a sound that’s connected with audiences like no other previous version of the band.
Track listing:
- Dim North Star
- Rushin' River Valley
- See the World By Night
- Tacoma
- Waking Up in Los Angeles
- We Used to Live Here
- It All Comes Back
- Sick of This Feeling
- The Deep Well
- Meridian
- Jesus Tap Dancing Christ (It's Good to Be Home)