In the four years since Fruit Bats last album, Spelled in Bones, I have found myself frequently wondering if this band was one of many that I discovered too late and would never get to see live. Originally I fell in love with “Seaweed” off 2003’s Mouthfuls. That was in 2004 and something about the folky tinged nostalgia it inspired within me, made me think that Fruit Bats had formed and disbanded before I was old enough to experience nostalgia.

Thankfully, this is not the case.  In the interim of Fruit Bats releases, songwriter Eric D. Johnson has been keeping busy playing with bands like Vetiver and The Shins. In 2008 the band reformed and recorded the new album in the same Chicago studio where they recorded Echolocation, nine years ago.

Their new album, The Ruminant Band, is being released August 4th on Sub Pop. The title track off the album delivers a 70’s guitar line and 50’s back up singing that blend into an uplifting tune on the give and take nature of existence as Johnson’s voice takes on tones similar to the high-pitched warble of Cave Singers’ Pete Quirk. If you pre-order the album from Sub Pop, you’ll get $2 off the price and probably some sort of sticker or button, if you’re into that sort of thing. They’ll be coming throuh Seattle August 20th at The Crocodile and August 21st at the Mural Ampitheater.

You can listen to tracks off the new album here.

(photo by Annie Beedy)