Absolute Loser is the first Fruit Bats record since 2011, which wouldn’t be such a big deal— Eric Johnson’s 2014 “solo debut” as EDJ wasn’t exactly a major digression from what’s always been basically a solo project anyway—if the album didn’t feel like such a revitalization.
The standouts come quick and plentifully, kicking off with insta-anthem “From A Soon-To-Be Ghost Town,” which overcomes its mouthful of a title with a sunny, rollicking shuffle, establishing recurring themes of emotional geography and the tug between past and future. It’s the most positively buoyant the group has ever sounded—tempered by Johnson’s wistful, plainspoken lyrical wisdom—and much of Loser follows suit, yielding arguably his sharpest batch of tunes since 2003’s minor classic Mouthfuls.
He’s in fine voice here as well: soaring on chugging, heartfelt paean “My Sweet Midwest” and downright soulful on ballads like “Baby Bluebird.” This is still Fruit Bats, so don’t expect anything more earth-shattering than pleasantly folky indie-pop with a mild rootsy lilt. If that’s your bag, though, don’t lose out on this one.
—K. Ross Hoffman