Fruit Bats – Tripper

An epic journey

Having spent chunks of time in both Vetiver and The Shins, Eric Johnson’s brand of sinuous folk-rock, aided by his twinkling falsetto, now boasts the tunes which 2009’s ‘The Ruminant Band’ lacked. For this, Fruit Bats’ fifth outing, the Chicagoan took inspiration from a decade-old train ride. The “grizzled vagabond” that sat next to Johnson became ‘Tony The Tripper’ on the album’s opening song. Elsewhere, all is good; ‘So Long’ is a dreamy endorphin rush, ‘You’re Too Weird’ sounds gloriously like The Bee Gees covering Bon Iver and there is whispered beauty in ‘Wild Honey’ ghostly lament. Indeed ‘Tripper’ is an epic journey.

8/10

Words by JOHN FREEMAN

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