Eric D Johnson

Recorded live at Bear Creek Studios with no click tracks and minimal overdubs, “The Landfill” finds Fruit Bats in full flight and a songwriter discovering how immediacy translates when the whole room is burning bright. It underlines the prominent place held by Fruit Bats in the canon of modern, rootsy American songwriting.

Fruit Bats announces The Landfill, a vibrant full-band album due June 12th via Merge Records. Following the stripped-back solo outing Baby Man, Eric D. Johnson reconvened his touring band at Bear Creek Studios – watch the conceptual video for the title track, directed by Adam Willis.

On Baby Man, the latest offering from Fruit Bats, Eric D Johnson strips away the comfort of a full band, forcing a singular focus on his lyrical and melodic introspection, a choice that elevates this album. It stands as an intimate and essential document of an artist reckoning with his past and present, a beautiful and poignant act of vulnerability that ultimately reveals a deep and resonant strength.

Fruit Bats’ new single, “Let You People Down,” is a sparse and captivating track that sets the tone for the upcoming album, Baby Man. A departure from his usual sound, the song is a raw, intimate solo performance that Eric D. Johnson calls an “ode to the people pleasers.” It’s a vulnerable look at self-doubt and the anxieties of an artist.

Fruit Bats releases “Creature From The Wild,” a heartfelt tribute to frontman Eric D. Johnson’s late dog. The track is from the forthcoming solo album, Baby Man, due out September 12th. Johnson calls the song a “hero song” for his “swashbuckling” companion. Proceeds from the single will benefit Baja Street Dogs, an organisation that rescues animals in Mexico.

In a world of maximalist gestures, Eric D. Johnson, the force behind Fruit Bats, announces Baby Man, a new solo album due September 12th via Merge Records. This stripped-down work promises an emotionally vast departure, diving into the raw core of Johnson’s songwriting. Listen to his lead single ‘Stuck in My Head Again’.

It’s the sheer sense of enjoyment that Bonny Light Horseman have in each other’s company that is the key takeaway from tonight’s performance at The Roundhouse. As a band, their comradeship clearly runs deep.

“Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free” eclipses the already high standard of their previous two albums and demonstrates the value of genuine improvisation in popular music and the unique natural chemistry at the heart of Bonny Light Horseman.

Filmed live at Levis Corner House in Ballydehob, County Cork, watch the lyric video for Bonny Light Horseman’s (Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman) outstanding new single “When I Was Younger”, also our Song of the Day.

Bonny Light Horseman are to return with their Sophomore album ‘Rolling Golden Holy’ in October. Unlike their debut, this album features all original songs. You can listen to their lead single ‘California’ which is out today.

These two discs will cause a lot of head-scratching as people try to figure out why they’ve missed the glories of Fruit Bats. For those that haven’t, there’s also plenty of delights in store.

Today, Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats shares three performance videos from Icehouse in Minneapolis, fittingly dubbed “Icehouse Sessions.” Check out full-band Fruit Bats performing “Eagles Below Us,” “On the Avalon Stairs,” and “Complete”.