Fruit Bats – The Pet Parade

Fruit Bats’ ninth full-length album oozes with romance. A missive from isolation, Eric D. Johnson recorded The Pet Parade from deep within the throes of isolation. The opening lines, “Hello from in here to all you out there / It feels like it’s been years,” greet the listener with Johnson’s warm, familiar voice, and a welcome missive it is, a 30-minute portal that allows those of us who may be sick of staying at home to re-examine our own worlds-within-our-homes and feel grateful to be here still.

The subsequent songs are amorous odes to domesticity, achingly sincere serenades, and moving meditations on global warming, loneliness, and survival.

Sonically, the album maintains a warmth and intimacy despite instrumentalists (including Josh Kaufman, Joe Russo, Johanna Samuels, and more) being forced to record their respective tracks at home; perhaps, in fact, this actually adds to the album’s cozy nature – the listener isn’t overwhelmed by production or effects. Amiable acoustic guitar and soulful harmonies quietly embellish each song but allow Johnson’s distinctive, boundless voice to shimmer and shine.

Standout “Holy Rose,” was an obvious choice for the single with its fuzzed out guitar orchestral nirvana, and the devastating line “You looked at the smoke / it was like you’d seen the ghosts of everyone you’ve ever known,” inspired by watching Johnson’s wife react to the wildfires in her hometown in Sonoma County.

Lyrics get more opaque but just as beautiful in songs like “Discovering,” and “All In One Go.” Particularly poignant is “On the Avalon Stairs,” a song that ponders lineage and mortality; and “Gullwing Doors” showcases Johnson’s incredible range, both vocally and emotionally.

“Here Now, For You” is Johnson at his suavest ever, with a Spanish guitar he croons a completely transparent and sultry love song, each line ready to be purloined by any groom-to-be nervously pondering wedding vows. “Whether I’m a man or a whisper in the mist / I will always love you” he promises.

20 years into making music as Fruit Bats, Johnson continues to transcend and build upon his previous work, even when you didn’t think it was possible for him to top the preceding performance.

Get The Pet Parade on Bandcamp.