Fruit Bats have announced their plans to release a new album, A River Running to Your Heart, on April 14 via Merge Records. As a preview of Eric D. Johnson’s 10th studio album, the musician has shared the track “Rushin’ River Valley.” Listen now. 

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

In a press release, Johnson offered a statement on the new album: “Over the years, there’s been a lot of geography in my music, a lot of landscapes. Sometimes the places are real, sometimes they’re emotional. I’ve always liked the idea of songs and albums that exist in a continuum with one another. I’m not talking about some kind of deep series of concept albums, mind you. More like the idea that my songs are all pretty much tributaries of the same river. Which makes a lot of metaphorical sense because my path has been long and winding and often slow and muddy. But always moving towards the sea.”

Johnson also touched on the meaning behind his track “Rushin’ River Valley,” stating, “This song is about true love, and the question of whether we are fated to be together or if it’s all just universal chaos tossing us around. It’s also about ghosts and bad dreams and trying to move forward and climbing over a mountain and hoping to glimpse the other side.”

In support of the new set, Fruit Bats will head out on tour this spring. The run is slated to begin on April 12 at Hi-Fi in Indianapolis, Ind. After the first stop, they will make their way across the U.S., ending their tour on May 27 at Commodore Ballroom in Victoria, B.C. To learn more, visit the band’s official website. 

Pre-order A River Running to Your Heart now. Listen to “Rushin’ River Valley” below.