The Pet Parade

Description

"The Pet Parade," the title track that opens the new album by Fruit Bats, may surprise long-time fans of Eric D. Johnson's indie folk-rock project (Bonny Light Horseman, The Shins). This tonal poem unfolds over more than six minutes with just two chords, inspired by the pet parades of his childhood held in La Grange, a suburb of Chicago. While many songs on The Pet Parade were written before the pandemic, it is impossible to separate the record from that time. Indeed, producer Josh Kaufman (Bob Weir, The National, Bonny Light Horseman), Eric D. Johnson, drummers Joe Russo and Matt Barrick (The Walkmen, Fleet Foxes), singer-songwriter Johanna Samuels, pianist Thomas Bartlett (Nico Muhly, Sufjan Stevens), and violinist Jim Becker (Califone, Iron & Wine) were forced to record their parts separately. However, the songs possess enough intimacy to not feel like they were recorded thousands of miles apart. This tension and turmoil have influenced the album's lyrics. "Cub Pilot" and "Here For Now, For You," which began as traditional and personal love songs, have become inclusive and universal. "The Balcony," which refers to his grandmother's apartment, has transformed into a metaphor about patience. Sometimes optimistic and reassuring ("Eagles Below Us"), sometimes quietly contemplative ("On the Avalon Stairs"), The Pet Parade marks an important milestone for Johnson, who celebrates 20 years of Fruit Bats in 2021…