Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Album Preview

    Album Preview

    Fruit Bats: Tripper

    Tripper will be available to stream on demand from July 25 through August 23, 2011. The album will be released on Tuesday, August 2, 2011.

    • Share
    By Eric J. Lawrence • Jul 25, 2011 • 1 min read

    Singer-songwriter Eric D. Johnson’s band project Fruit Bats are like a musical geyser, the Old Faithful of the indie rock scene. At nearly the rate of every other year he and his cohorts release an album of remarkably reliable merits, full of catchy melodies and dynamic tunes. Their folk-tinged pop songs are never aiming for world-domination – they don’t require big-name producers to juice up the arrangements with glossy synths or expansive horn sections. They are just well-crafted nuggets of personal expression in musical form, sometimes melancholic and at other times euphoric. And despite Johnson’s involvement with The Shins, his heart is clearly in Fruit Bats as exemplified by their new album, Tripper.

    Tripper is the best Fruit Bats album yet – it is a great listen from start to finish. But like the rolling hills, the expansive plains or the endless, cloud-filled sky depicted on the record’s artwork, there is probably more beautiful Fruit Bats music just over the horizon. But that’s no reason not to savor the gentle wonders of their terrific new album today.

    Eric J. Lawrence, KCRW Music Host

    Tripper will be available to stream on demand from July 25 through August 23, 2011. The album will be released on Tuesday, August 2, 2011.

    From the KCRW ARCHIVES

    Reformed and renewed, The Fruit Bats returned to KCRW to perform cheery folk-pop songs from their 2009 release, The Ruminant Band, on Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15am.

    THU JAN 28, 2010

    Host:
    • Jason Bentley

    Listen to/Watch entire show:

    http://fruitbatsmusic.com

    Track listing

    1. Tony the Tripper

    2. So Long

    3. Tangie and Ray

    4. Shivering Fawn

    5. You're Too Weird

    6. Heart Like an Orange

    7. Dolly

    8. The Banishment Song

    9. The Fen

    10. Wild Honey

    11. Picture of a Bird

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Eric J. Lawrence

      KCRW DJ

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Fruit Bats

      Musician

      Hand-Picked Music
    Back to Album Preview