The project's seventh proper studio album overall,
Gold Past Life
marks the
Merge Records
debut of
Eric D. Johnson
's
Fruit Bats
. It's their first since 2016's
Absolute Loser
three years prior, though in the meantime,
Johnson
released the Record Store Day odds-and-ends collection
The Glory of Fruit Bats
as well as a live acoustic EP with
Vetiver
Andy Cabic
. Returning to newly composed songs,
is presented as the third in an unplanned trilogy with
and 2014's
EDJ
, an eponymous solo release. Connected by a period of personal loss, sociopolitical anxieties, and other stressors, the albums are surprisingly warm and sweet, if also wistful, with
explaining that he turned to songwriting as a means of comfort.
opens with a strong, midtempo groove under dreamy guitar and keys on "The Bottom of It." The song's evocative lyrics embrace small victories, collecting trophies along the way in the form of found objects. It's followed by the '70s patchwork "Gold Past Life," which borrows from the soft rock, psychedelia, and soul of
the Bee Gees
and beyond. The full-band arrangements of these early tracks are indicative of most of the
Thom Monahan
-produced album, which features a backing lineup as well as guests including, among others,
Neal Casal
,
Tall Tales & the Silver Lining
Trevor Beld Jimenez
, and
Hand Habits
'
Meg Duffy
. Contrasting more richly arranged tracks are the lyrical "Ocean," which eventually adds spare accompaniment to solo acoustic guitar picking, and "Barely Living Room," a ballad that relies on piano and atmospheric string and organ tones. The album closes with the yearning synth song "Two Babies in Michigan," a state where
spent part of his childhood. Nostalgic throughout, yet often more affectionate than bittersweet,
represents another consistently strong set from
, one with melodies and sentiments that linger. ~ Marcy Donelson