INTERVIEW: Fruit Bats 10/30

Photo credit: Casey Vock

By Iris Broisat

Eric D. Johnson is an American singer-songwriter originally from Chicago, Illinois, best known as the founder and frontman of the indie folk-rock band Fruit Bats.

Since its formation in 1997, the band has released 16 albums and has performed at major festivals including Bonnaroo and Le Guess Who.

On Oct. 30, I had the opportunity to speak with Johnson about his career, musical process and newest album, The Landfill, which he has been touring since June 2026. The band will take the stage on November 7 at the Royale. Johnson gave us a glimpse into what the touring journey has been like and the excitements on tour that fans will get to see soon in Boston.

Iris Broisat (IB): For those unfamiliar with your music, how would you describe Fruit Bats?

Eric D. Johnson (EDJ): It’s hard to describe because it’s been around so long. I always was like, it all kind of sounds the same because it’s just me, but then I realized I’ve changed a lot over the years. People call it folk rock, which is funny because I only play acoustic guitar a little bit. I once referred to it as existential makeout music. It’s singer songwriter music, so it’s about my life, but I also want you to dance to it.

IB: You said discovering indie rock in the 1990s was really important to you. Did you go into Fruit Bats with indie rock in mind? What artists or albums made you love that genre?

EDJ: You grow up listening to the radio and these big pop bands, and there’s crazy guitar solos and everything like that. And I was like, how? I can never do that. When I heard indie rock, it was proof that you could do something because there was something really handcrafted about it. I think Pavement was probably the first band that really affected me and Guided by Voices, which is this guy making music on a four track in his bedroom. I was just like, oh, I could do this, you know?

IB: How did you decide to go into songwriting? I saw that you were interested in filmmaking too before it.

EDJ: I think ever since I could remember, I was just like, I’m gonna do something creative. I was always interested in that. Songwriting kind of happened by accident, and again, I think it was just falling into the indie scene, which back then felt really possible. It was just like you get in the van and just do it. I liked that.

IB: Would you say your interest and experience with film helped you create your own music and navigate that industry?

EDJ: It was crazy because it wasn’t until years later that I even started to work in movies. So it was almost like a full circle dream. I wanted to be a director or writer. I ended up doing music, but then scoring films, so I always say I kind of came into movies through the side door. It’s such a different process because it’s so collaborative and you’re working for someone. So coming back to songwriting from that [felt freeing] because I can do anything I want. They’re so different.

IB: You dissolved Fruit Bats in 2013 and then reformed it in 2015. Why did you decide to bring the band back?

EDJ: I felt like at the time I said everything I wanted to say with that project. And when I changed the name all the infrastructure went away. People were like, “What’s this new thing?” And I realized that was really dumb. So, with my tail between my legs, I came back. In some ways, it was really good because it was a total reset, for my brain even. When it came back, it came back really strong. I came out with the Absolute Loser album and Humbug Mountain was my first real hit song. The sound kind of changed.

IB: Did you continue to work on music during your break?

EDJ: Yeah, I made a record called EDJ. That’s something I’m really proud of but no one has heard [of it.] It’s almost my favorite record of mine in this funny way because I never had to play those songs a million times on tour, so I never got sick of it. It was just very personal and it kind of feels like my forgotten child.

IB: What would you say are the biggest changes in your style and songwriting from your first album, Echolocation, to your newest album, The Landfill?

EDJ: If you listen to those back to back, it doesn’t even sound like the same band. Every idea that I’d ever had for 10 years kind of went into [Echolocation.] I’m proud of that record, but there were too many ideas and I had this feeling the whole time I was making it, like “What if I never get to do this again?” So I cramm[ed] everything in there. I was still finding my creative voice and actual singing voice too. It took me 10 or 15 years to get more confident in what I was doing. I’m a slow grower. So now I’m confident. I don’t throw everything at the wall. I’m more focused.

IB: What exactly is your process for creating an album?

EDJ: It’s changed over the years and the last couple of albums have been really different from the previous ones as far as the process goes. For a long time, I would say the writing process and the demoing process would morph into the recording process. So I would start to write. I would create these demos and I would write as I went and then those would just turn into songs, and we built them out in the studio. The last few [albums] have been way more natural. I just write with an acoustic guitar, something really basic, and then go create something really spontaneous. For my Baby Man record last year, I wrote and recorded everything in two weeks. It all happened at once and we made The Landfill two months after that. It was all very immediate. Basically, I have this new process that’s very immediate and it’ll probably change the next time around. I don’t know too well.

IB: When you’re making an album, how do you decide which musicians to bring into the studio? Do you tend to choose musicians who match a sound you have in mind, or do you kind of let their style influence how the album will turn out?

EDJ: As far as The Landfill goes, I’ve had more or less the same band for 10 years. I just really wanted to capture these really nice moments during a sound check or something when there’s no audience and you just play and you don’t care because no one’s listening. You’re just playing, not really thinking about it. And I kind of wanted to capture that feeling on The Landfill. Like I said, that’s part of the whole very spontaneous and natural process of that [album.]

IB: About The Landfill, I really like how much the album is influenced by nature. Is there a reason why you decided to make it such a prominent theme in the album?

EDJ: That’s the one thing you could really say that this album and the first album do have in common. I think I have always been interested in writing about nature. I pretty much grew up a city person, so I think I was always fascinated by it. I wasn’t exposed to it a lot, so it was exotic to me. I’ve lived out on the West Coast for many years now, closer to nature. So I love it. I’m always writing about my feelings and my heart and stuff like that. But I feel like nature has to be part of it because nature is poetry.

IB: Do you have a favorite song on that album?

EDJ: No, only because I can’t pick one. I mean, I like “Silverfish in the Sink.” We don’t play that live too much, so in some ways, I like that one because it’s just very personal. I usually like the ballads that aren’t the bangers, [though] I love the bangers too, but the ones that aren’t necessarily going to be the encore song are the ones that are more personal to me.

IB: When you perform a song live, does it change a lot from the studio recorded version of it?

EDJ: On past records when I used to work in that way, where I’m building songs from the ground up, we would definitely take liberties live. The new songs [sound] very similar to the studio in some ways because we recorded [them] pretty much live in the studio. But they’re always gonna morph. With every single album there’ll be one song where I have a better lyric that comes into my mind later and I’ll change one word in the song. There’s already one on The Landfill where I’ve done that live. So little things like that. But the newer ones are definitely  gonna hit like how they hit on the record.

IB: From your time on tour so far, is there a song that gets a particularly strong reaction from the crowd?

EDJ: This record’s been cool because usually it takes a really long time for people to learn [the songs,] even on Gold Past Life, which was kind of my hit record. Even those songs took a year for people to start recognizing them and [get] excited about them live. Whereas this record has kind of come screaming out of the gates, which is really cool. People really like “That Goddamn Sun.”

IB: I really like “That Goddamn Sun” too. I think it’s my favorite one off that album.

EDJ: I’m really happy with how that one came out. I wasn’t expecting people to be into that one because it’s very mid tempo and it doesn’t hit super hard but I think there’s something about it that people like which is cool. You never know.

IB: Would you have done anything differently at the start of your career?

EDJ: So much. It all worked out, but I feel like if I could go back and talk to my younger self, I would tell myself to try a little harder. Not that I wasn’t trying, but I feel like I sometimes had opportunities in my career and in my life that I didn’t recognize as good opportunities. But like I said, it all worked out and I’ve always worked at my own pace, so maybe it doesn’t really matter.

IB: I just have one last question for you. After more than two decades of Fruit Bats, what would you say still excites you creatively? Do you see new projects for the band or future tours?

EDJ: As the crowds have gotten bigger for tours, it’s really exciting to go out there. I feel like performing has gotten to be more important to me. Connecting with an audience is really fun. I feel like I’m always learning something new. I don’t even know what’s next.

This interview was edited for clarity.