Merge Records is proud to unveil Baby Man, the quietly stunning new album from acclaimed indie outfit Fruit Bats, set for release on September 12, 2025. Written and performed entirely by singer-songwriter Eric D. Johnson—also of the Grammy-nominated trio Bonny Light Horseman—Baby Man stands as the most intimate statement in the Fruit Bats catalogue: ten solo recordings tracked with nothing more than Johnson’s voice, guitar, piano and the occasional whisper of synth.
Produced, engineered and mixed by longtime collaborator Thom Monahan (their first full-length partnership since 2019’s Gold Past Life), the record captures Johnson at his most unguarded. Each day in the studio began with a blank page; by nightfall a new song—or sometimes two—stood finished, raw and disarmingly honest. The result is a collection that pairs minimalist arrangements with widescreen emotional heft, what Johnson calls “minimalist-maximalism,” where four or five impeccably recorded tracks carry the weight of an orchestra.
Today fans can glimpse that intimacy on “Stuck In My Head Again,” the album’s lead single and video, available now on YouTube. “Right now the world is loud and unwieldy,” Johnson reflects. “If you meet me eye-level, I’ll whisper a fever dream straight into your ear. Hopefully this one stays with you—in the best way.”
From the reflective opener “Let You People Down,” through the heart-rending canine elegy “Creature From the Wild” and the slow-burn philosophy of “Building a Cathedral,” to the blues-tinged closer “Year of the Crow,” Baby Man traces the arc of love, loss and self-reckoning with a clarity rarely captured on tape. Johnson’s vocals, pushed to the fore by Monahan, reveal new shades of grit and grace, each line hanging in the air like a confidant’s secret.
The sessions also yielded “Puddle Jumper,” a finger-picked lament born hours after Johnson texted Monahan, “I’m just trying to write a couple more songs.” That vulnerability—equal parts fear and courage—runs through the entire record, as the songwriter questions purpose, resilience and the fleeting beauty found in life’s detours.
Baby Man follows 2023’s warmly received A River Running to Your Heart and signals a bold new chapter for Fruit Bats: more direct, more personal, and more affecting than ever. Pre-orders for vinyl, CD and digital formats are open now through Merge Records and select independent retailers.
Album Release:
Baby Man – Fruit Bats
Release Date: September 12, 2025
Label: Merge Records
Format: LP, CD, Digital
Track Highlights:
“Let You People Down” | “Creature From the Wild” | “Building a Cathedral” | “Year of the Crow” | “Stuck In My Head Again” (lead single out now)
