GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Eric D. Johnson (aka Fruit Bats) has released the sparse and intimate new track “Let You People Down.” The song appears on his deeply personal forthcoming album Baby Man, which is set for release September 12. Listen to “Let You People Down” wherever you stream music, and pre-order the album on CD or LP from the Merge store. Pre-orders placed on National Vinyl Record Day (August 12) will be eligible to win a test pressing of the album!

Eric D. Johnson on “Let You People Down”:

This is an ode to the people pleasers of the world. It’s about breaking your own heart. It’s about stumbling while navigating the world and wanting to jump off the planet and take a re-set. And of course maybe it’s sneakily and/or subconsciously about my fear of how people might react to this record and its lack of boppy Fruit Bats songs that they might be waiting for. This might be the album’s mission statement, crushed up into a 2-minute long easy to swallow tablet.

Baby Man is unlike any album in Fruit Bats’ celebrated body of work. Composed 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 powerful as the music itself and his remarkable voice, which is as expressive as ever. Album opener “Let You People Down” encapsulates all of these elements and sets the tone for what follows.

Johnson lays himself bare throughout Baby Man with some of the rawest and most revealing material he has written. He reunited with Thom Monahan, who engineered, produced and mixed the album. 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 an enchanting and emotive aural experience. 

Speaking of enchanting and emotive aural experiences, full-band Fruit Bats dates are wrapping up on the east coast this week! They will be followed by fall dates promising an “intimate, solo evening with Eric D. Johnson,” with sold out dates already in Chicago and Toronto. Don't miss out — grab your tickets now!

Fruit Bats on tour: 
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
Oct 16 Ojai, CA – Ojai Valley Woman's Club (Solo)
Oct 17 Los Angeles, CA – Pico Union Project (Solo)
Oct 18 San Francisco, CA – The Chapel (Solo – two shows) 
Oct 20 Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater (Solo)
Oct 22 Stoughton, WI – Stoughton Opera House (Solo)
Oct 23 Minneapolis, MN – Icehouse (Solo)
Oct 24 Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folk Music (Solo)
Oct 25 Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folk Music (Solo) [SOLD OUT]
Oct 27 Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark (Solo)
Oct 29 Toronto, ON – Longboat Hall (Solo) [SOLD OUT]
Oct 30 Buffalo, NY – The Ninth Ward (Solo)
Nov 01 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg (Solo)
Nov 02 Cambridge, MA – Sinclair (Solo)