ACCLAIMED ARTIST FRUIT BATS PAYS HOMAGE FOLLOWING THE LOSS OF A BELOVED DOG ON BEAUTIFUL NEW TRACK
“CREATURE FROM THE WILD” LISTEN HERE
SONG APPEARS ON DEEPLY PERSONAL NEW ALBUM BABY MAN
OUT SEPTEMBER 12TH ON MERGE RECORDS
NEW FRUIT BATS FALL TOUR DATES TO FEATURE AN INTIMATE,
SOLO EVENING WITH ERIC D. JOHNSON
Nashville, TN – GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Eric D. Johnson (aka Fruit Bats) beautifully honors the recent loss of a beloved dog with the heartfelt new song “Creature From The Wild.” Released today, the track serves as an homage that acknowledges the sorrow, but more so celebrates the immeasurable impact his life had on his owners lives with sincerity and gratitude. These feelings are all too relatable to anyone who has lost a cherished pet.
“We raise dogs like they’re our kids, but goddamn it, they only live to be around 15 if we’re lucky,” says Johnson. “The line ‘and you saved us for a while’ came tumbling out. But they really do save us, but for such a precious short time. I’ve always wanted to write a dog song. I lost my dog this spring. I loved him a lot. He was a Mexican street dog and a wild animal and a true gentleman. A real swashbuckling spirit. This is a hero song about him and his legend.” Listen to “Creature From The Wild” HERE.
“Creature From The Wild” appears on the forthcoming Fruit Bats album Baby Man, which comes out September 12th via Merge Records. From July 15 – September 11, all proceeds from Bandcamp sales of the track “Creature From the Wild” and a portion of digital album pre-orders will benefit Baja Street Dogs. https://bajastreetdogs.org/.
Baby Man is unlike any album in Fruit Bats’ celebrated body of work. Comprised of 10 captivating songs, the new collection finds Johnson performing solo, self-accompanied by guitar, piano or an occasional touch of synth. His use of space throughout the album is often as enchanting as the music and his remarkable voice, which is as expressive as ever. Johnson lays himself bare throughout with some of the rawest material he has written.
Johnson reunited with Thom Monahan, who engineered, produced and mixed Baby Man. Monahan pushed the vocals up front in the mix, which elevates both the command and the vulnerability of each performance. Between the substance and the sonics, a deep listen to Baby Man is a powerful and emotive aural experience.
Baby Man is the follow-up to 2023’s critically acclaimed release A River Running to Your Heart (Merge). Johnson is also a member of the GRAMMY-nominated indie trio Bonny Light Horseman.
In support of Baby Man, Fruit Bats recently announced a fall tour, An Intimate, Solo Evening with Eric D. Johnson. Stops will include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Brooklyn and Cambridge, MA. See full list of dates below.
To pre-order/pre-save Baby Man, click HERE
For press information about Fruit Bats, please contact:
Jim Flammia or Kai Nanfelt
at All Eyes Media
Fruit Bats Summer Tour Dates
Aug 1 – Seattle, WA – Occidental Mall
Aug 2-3 – Portland, OR – Pickathon
Aug 6 – Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s Brewing
Aug 7 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird
Aug 8 – Providence, RI – Fete
Aug 9 – Portland, ME – On the Ocean Fest
Aug 11 – Charlton, MA – The Pavilion at Tree House Brewing
Aug 13 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
Aug 14 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom
Aug 15 – Queens, NY – The Rockaway Hotel
Aug 16 – Manchester, VT – Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots Festival
New Fruit Bats Fall Tour Dates
Oct 16 – Ojai, CA – Ojai Valley Woman’s Club
Oct 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Pico Union Project
Oct 18 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel (Two Shows)
Oct 20 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
Oct 22 – Stoughton, WI – Stoughton Opera House
Oct 23 – Minneapolis, MN – Icehouse
Oct 24 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folk Music
Oct 25 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folk Music SOLD OUT
Oct 27 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
Oct 29 – Toronto, ON – Longboat Hall
Oct 30 – Buffalo, NY – The Ninth Ward
Oct 31 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios
Nov 1 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Nov 2 – Cambridge, MA – Sinclair
Stay up to date on news and tour dates by visiting FruitBatsMusic.com