Popular Indie-Folk Rockers Fruit Bats to Play Intuition in April

On the heels of the just-released “Waking Up in Los Angeles,” indie-folk rock outfit Fruit Bats have announced a North American tour, which includes a stop in Jacksonville at the end of April.

The first newly composed material since the band’s 2021 full lengthThe Pet Parade, “Waking Up in Los Angeles” unspools as an introspective take on the concept of home; both spiritual and physical. “This is a sad song masquerading as a happy one,” Fruit Bats front-person Eric D. Johnson said in a press release. “Or maybe vice versa? This might be the first song I’ve written where the first verse is a disclaimer – and, yes, I am talking to you with this one. This is about spiritual homes, the geography of the heart, and waking up in a weird, hard world where the birds still sing.”

Originally formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1997 by singer-songwriter Johnson, the Fruit Bats were at the forefront of the neo-folk revival that turned the indie-music scene on its ear in the decades that followed. The group’s 2003 full-length Mouthfuls, their debut on Sub Pop Records, features the college-radio mainstay “When You Love Somebody.” Over the course of more than a dozen albums, amid lineup changes, Johnson’s remained one of the most consistently poignant songwriters of his generation, carrying the Fruit Bats’ music to an ever-growing audience.

Fruit Bats play the Bier Hall inside Intuition Ale Works on Sunday, April 30. Their visit to Intuition marks the first time Fruit Bats has ever played Jacksonville and their first visit to Northeast Florida in 13 years, the band announced on Twitter. Tickets are on sale.

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