Fruition’s Something More (Bloodshot) is the sound of a veteran band loosening its collective grip on some old habits. The follow-up to the 2024’s How To Make Mistakes takes nearly the opposite approach to that album’s deliberate spontaneity. Reuniting with producer Tucker Martine after eight years, Fruition spent seven days at the Grammy-winning producer’s Flora Recording & Playback studio in the band’s hometown of Portland, Ore. Mellotron, cello, pedal steel, horns, vintage drum machines and an ’60s-era Ace Tone organ mingle with the usual guitars and three-part harmonies, buoyed by atmospheric arrangements that chafe at the quintet’s more familiar roots-rock framework.
In a fresh twist, core members Jay Cobb Anderson, Kellen Asebroek and Miriam “Mimi” Naja wrote together during getaways in Colorado and Southern California.
“This album is the culmination of almost two decades of making music as Fruition,” says Anderson. “We set out to show the world what we’ve learned along the way, both musically and personally. But perhaps more importantly, the album makes a point to be honest about the things we’ve had to unlearn.”
Here’s more on each track from Anderson.
—Hobart Rowland
1) “Compass”
“There’s a magnetic pull from the earth that can show true north if you have the right tools. We all get lost, but we all can be found. Our heads can trick us, but our hearts are tuned to the cosmic cardinal directions. If you listen to the secrets in the rhythm of your pulse, you’ll always make it where you’re headed. And right on time.”
2) “Oh Well”
“What’s at the bottom of the well? Darkness, mystery, danger, treasure, answers, secrets—or maybe all of these? There’s only one way to know. Sometimes the only way to be free is to get stuck. It’s a rite of passage for the young and vibrant. If we can shake it off and keep going, the scars on our hearts and the lines in our faces become the very elements that make us beautiful.”
3) “Matters Of The Heart”
“There are many kinds of luck, if you believe in that sort of thing. If you’re mighty lucky—or mighty unlucky—you probably do. One way or the other, we all take chances in life and walk away with riches or stitches. And there’s no greater gamble than laying down all your cards on love. But sometimes the more we take a stab at it, the more we just walk away with blood on our hands. It seems from time to time that true good luck isn’t just knowing when to walk away but knowing which games to avoid altogether.”
4) “How Does It Feel”
“Being on the outside looking in isn’t always a bad thing. The inside can mean prison time. And sometimes when it’s a self-inflicted confinement, it’s easier to keep it all locked inside for a while. But then the moment comes when we see the stars through the bars and begin to wonder if there’s something more out there worth getting to. It’s hard to change—I mean really change. It’s never easy. And there’s only one way to know how it feels. To get there, you have to really want to know.”
5) “Reason To Live”
“Love that makes you want to be better. A life that’s as close to your dreams as it gets. Hearts that beat the same tempo keep driving the song to the next chorus. Why we’re here doesn’t matter. What matters is where we’re at. If you’re there, then you know it. That’s what makes you want to keep going—to see where that place can take you.”
6) “Forward”
“You may find yourself wading in murky waters—swimming through pools of regret and missed opportunity, or even drowning in remorse and loneliness. Currents can be strong and pull you under or keep you disoriented enough that you don’t even realize you’re just spinning. This too is part of our journey—maybe the most important part even. It’s imperative to stop the ‘keep going’ sometimes to see that you’re not going anywhere but around and around.”
7) “I’m Not Afraid”
“You should be, but for some reason you’re not. I guess this time it’s different. Her eyes glow in otherworldly light. Each breath she takes is a gift. You’re not scared to hurt her because, at the very core of your soul, you know that you were put here to protect her. It’s coded in your DNA, coursing through your veins. It’s written in the stars. Every life you’ve lived and died has brought you here. If this ship goes down, you’ll gladly sink with it. So what’s there to be frightened of?”
8) “Something More”
“It’s hard to say what happens next, though we sure do love to speculate. Some say we might meet again after this is all over. I don’t know if that’s true, but I sure hope it is. If there’s one thing I do believe, it’s that this cannot be the end. It just doesn’t feel right. I’m not even sure there is an end. Maybe it’s just another beginning. All I know is that I love you, and I miss you like hell.”
9) “There’s A Place”
“Maybe this all turns out completely different. Maybe we’re just not there yet. They say that timing is everything—but even if you’re on time, that doesn’t mean anything if no one shows. Ah, but the poets would have no time for the pen if it always turned out happily ever after. So cheers to those who’ve been just grazed by the arrows of Cupid. Romantics need their brushes with fate to paint masterpieces. And somehow these beautiful fruits of failed attempts drop seeds of hope for us all.”
10) “By Now”
“Things were different when it all started. There was magic in the night, and so we drank it in until they kicked us out. We rolled and laughed and stumbled, under the influence of moonlight-shine—only to awake years later with a dull ache in our bodies that grew slowly until it was altogether unbearable. And now it feels like we can’t remember our own names. Maybe we’re ghosts; maybe we’ve always been ghosts. All I can say is we were going somewhere—and it was definitely not here.”
11) “All Over”
“The curtain is old and full of holes. We can almost see right through it. One thing’s for sure: There’s light under there where they told us there was nothing—and still they persist with the same old tune. Don’t they know that nobody sings like that anymore? We’re not going to take this. So give it all you’ve got, because we can hear that you’re running out of steam. The ground you stand on is disappearing. Please hurry and finish, because you’ve made a mess—and it’s obvious we’re the ones who have to clean it up.”
See Fruition live.
