Just ahead of full-band performances in NYC and DC, as well as appearances at MRG30 and Pickathon, Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats is sharing a music video for “Ocean” from his much-loved Merge debut, Gold Past Life. 

From director Danielle Rubi:

When I first heard Eric’s song “Ocean,” I immediately had a series of moving photographs play out in my mind. The melancholic tone resonated with me a lot artistically, so I decided to create an authentic portrait of how it may feel to be a bit lost in this world. I think our culture could use more somber, honest, and hopeful pieces out there. To help us feel found, and to simply say, We are going to be ok.

Praise for Gold Past Life:

“This sweet, smart concept album about nostalgia is one of the year’s best-written… Even as dedicated a nostalgist as Johnson paints himself to be can come to realize that the future’s still a good place to go mining for gold, too.” —Variety

“A peak of radiant retro poppiness” —Rolling Stone

“Deftly avoiding the pitfalls of nostalgia, Fruit Bats’ Gold Past Life takes stock of life from the vantage point of middle age and charts a path forward with hope and no little circumspection, without once feeling sorry for itself.” —PopMatters

“Underneath guitar melodies that seem to glide on warm California air, and Johnson’s singular falsetto harmonies, he is working through some dark, existential anxieties on Gold Past Life. But that’s what makes these songs so sublime.” —No Depression

“It hurts, thinking about what once was. So Gold Past Life wraps that sobering truth up in animated pop rock, an element of sweetness to make the darkness go down a little easier.” —Paste

The opaque aqua Peak Vinyl of Gold Past Life packaged with a bonus 7-inch is sold out in the Merge store, but Fruit Bats will have copies on the road while supplies last! 

Fruit Bats on tour:
Jul 25 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle (MRG30)
Jul 26 Washington, DC – Union Stage
Jul 27 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Aug 2 & 4 Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon
Aug 08 St. Paul, MN – Turf Club*
Aug 09 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall*
Aug 10 Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi Indy*
Aug 11 Lexington, KY – Railbird Festival
Sep 13-14 Walla Walla, WA – Huichica Music Festival (Solo)
Sep 20 Salt Lake City, UT – State Room
Sep 21 Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theatre
Sep 22 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
Sep 23 Omaha, NE – Slowdown
Sep 25 Kansas City, MO – recordBar
Sep 26 Oklahoma City, OK – Ponyboy
Sep 27 Houston, TX – Satellite Bar
Sep 28 Dallas, TX – Club Dada
Sep 29 Austin, TX – 3TEN ACL Live
Oct 02 Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
Oct 03 San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Oct 04 Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall
Oct 05 San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Nov 06 Boston, MA – The Sinclair
Nov 07 Portsmouth, NH – The Press Room
Nov 08 Burlington, VT – ArtsRiot
Nov 09 Syracuse, NY – The Westcott Theater
Nov 10 Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
Nov 12 Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe
Nov 13 Ferndale, MI – Otus Supply
Nov 15 Birmingham, AL – Saturn
Nov 16 Nashville, TN – Exit In
Nov 17 Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
Nov 19 Asheville, NC – The Mothlight
Nov 20 Durham, NC – Motorco
Nov 21 Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
Nov 22 Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle
Nov 23 Baltimore, MD – Union Craft Brewing
Dec 11 Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
Dec 19 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret
Dec 20 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
Dec 21 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
* w/ Joyero