Bats

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 formsfrom 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.

Last year, Fruit Bats covered The Smashing Pumpkins‘ seminal sophomore album, Siamese Dream, in its entirety for the Sounds Delicious series. What was originally a physical-only release by the Eric D. Johnson-led outfit is now available across streaming services.

Eric D. Johnson, the creative force behind Fruit Bats, doesn’t spend a lot of time looking in the rearview mirror. “Maybe it speaks to some Midwest thing,” he says. “Don’t be overly reflective or navel-gazing. And as a songwriter, you always want to be looking forward, not backward.”

The Pet Parade marks a milestone for Johnson, who celebrates 20 years of Fruit Bats in 2021. In some ways still a cult band, in other ways a time-tested act, Fruit Bats has consistently earned enough small victories to carve out a career in a notoriously fickle scene.