Today, Fruit Bats launch a new song, “We Used to Live Here,” the final sneak peek before the April 14 release of their tenth album, A River Running to Your Heart via Merge Records. Listen to and share “We Used to Live Here” now, and pre-order A River Running to Your Heart on CD, LP, and Blue and Bone Swirl Peak Vinyl from the Merge store!

“We Used to Live Here” follows three previously released singles from the forthcoming A River Running to Your Heart, each showcasing a unique sonic edge of Eric D. Johnson’s vast songwriting ability. Ranging from psychedelic (“It All Comes Back”) to upbeat indie-pop (“Rushin’ River Valley”) to laid-back grooves (“Waking Up in Los Angeles”), there is a collective far-reaching aesthetic and “We Used to Live Here” further broadens that creative space. The stripped-bare tune hits soft spots when Johnson sings, “Do you remember this place / We used to call our home / We were the perfect age / And the rent was so low” while remaining optimistic and celebratory, a rare feat. 

“This song is about a couple of different life moments that we all have,” says Johnson. “One is the moment when you move out of a place and the last box has been put into the truck and suddenly the space is empty and echo-ey, and then you walk out the door for the last time. Depending on the time and nature of your stay, the feeling in that moment can range anywhere from bittersweet to crushingly sad. The other moment is driving by that place a year or two later, and the weird ghosty feeling that can give you.”

A River Running to Your Heart is Fruit Bats’ tenth full-length and first since The Pet Parade in 2021. The release follows Johnson’s involvement in indie folk trio Bonny Light Horseman’s critically acclaimed 2022 album, Rolling Golden Holy.

In support of the new album, Fruit Bats will tour the United States and Canada in April and May. Tickets are available now.

Fruit Bats on tour: 
Apr 12  HI-FI – Indianapolis, IN
Apr 13 Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
Apr 14 First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
Apr 15 Codfish Hollow Barnstormers – Maquoketa, IA
Apr 16 Majestic Theatre – Madison, WI
Apr 18 Phoenix Theatre – Toronto, ON 
Apr 19 Brooklyn Bowl – Philadelphia, PA 
Apr 20 Webster Hall – New York, NY
Apr 21 Royale – Boston, MA
Apr 22 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
Apr 25 Cat's Cradle – Carrboro, NC 
Apr 27 Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN
Apr 28 Bear Shadow – Scaly Mountain, NC (w/ Spoon)
Apr 29 Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
Apr 30 Intuition Ale Works – Jacksonville, FL
May 10 Belly Up – San Diego, CA
May 11 Ace Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
May 12 The Chapel – San Francisco, CA
May 13 The Chapel – San Francisco, CA
May 14 The Chapel – San Francisco, CA
May 17 Mohawk – Austin, TX
May 19 Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
May 20 The Commonwealth Room – Salt Lake City, UT
May 21 The Elm – Bozeman, MT
May 24 Treefort Music Hall – Boise, ID
May 25 Revolution Hall – Portland, OR 
May 26 Showbox Market – Seattle, WA
May 27 Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC