Two years since the LP The Ruminant Band, Fruit Bats return with Tripper, an album that is filled with stories that take your ears and imagination on a journey that could be best enjoyed through your headphones or out on the open road. That spirit of adventure is indeed what Eric D. Johnson intended, evidenced in the title track “Tony the Tripper.” The song is based on a “grizzled vagabond” Johnson met on a train traveling from Chicago to Washington and what their imagined road trip out west could be like, somewhat Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady style.
The album as a whole seems to be about narratives of individuals leaving familiarity to find themselves and discover new ways of living. “Tangie and Ray” is a darker tale of two people who try living on the land but the outcome turns futile. Others are decidedly more optimistic and upbeat like “You’re Too Weird,” which is reminiscent of driving off into the sunset on a summer night with that special someone. The highs and lows of Johnson’s voice perpetuate the feelings of sentimental bliss and ’70s style guitar riffs mellow out the vibe altogether. “Somebody needs to tell me what I’m supposed to do, say that I’m not supposed to be in love with you, say that you’re too weird for me.” Things usually are not as clear as perhaps once thought to be; in the process of self discovery maybe the message of the song is suggesting you can’t help who you love no matter how wrong or right they are for you.