Fruit Bats is an American indie-rock band formed in 1997 in Chicago, Illinois. The group has had many personnel changes but revolves around songwriter Eric D. Johnson. Their albums include Echolocation (2001), Mouthfuls (2003), Spelled in Bones (2005), The Ruminant Band (2009), Tripper (2011), and Absolute Loser (2016). In 2009 Johnson also joined The Shins. Originally part of short-lived Chicago group I Rowboat, Johnson and two of his fellow Rowboat members, guitarist Dan Strack and drummer Brian Belval, created Fruit Bats as a side-project.