Fruit Bats

Formed in the late 1990s, indie folk-rock act Fruit Bats grew from the four-track recording project of songwriter Eric D. Johnson into a touring band with an ever-shifting lineup. Constant are Johnson's warm vocals and melodic sensibility, both of which often seem to split the difference between Lennon and McCartney (stated influences include the Byrds, the Kinks, and Supertramp). The project existed in a steady but mercurial state throughout the 2000s and 2010s as Johnson divided his time between scoring movies, playing with other bands, and working on Fruit Bats albums. Their debut, Echolocation, arrived in 2001, leading to a string of albums for Sub Pop including 2005's Spelled in Bones and 2011's Tripper, the latter of which reached the Top 15 of Billboard's Heatseekers chart. A solo release under the initials EDJ appeared in 2014 before Johnson returned to Fruit Bats in 2016 with Absolute Loser. Over 20 years after their formation, 2019's Gold Past Life marked Fruit Bats' debut for Merge.