The Pet Parade

Tracks like “Discovering”, “The Balcony” and “Eagles Below Us” are all back porch-based, sunshine-filled entries. The Pet Parade marches on for Fruit Bats, delivering looping easy rolling tunes around Johnson’s distinct vocal approach.

The players worked remotely, sent in files and Johnson and Kaufman fit them together. All of which makes it even more remarkable how effortless and streamlined this album sounds, how its sounds swirl around the listener like warm currents, and how carefully Johnson kept the balance between letting the songs speak for themselves and enveloping them in luminous arrangements.

Only on a few songs does the album bear some weak spots, the most obvious being “Here For Now, For You”; with its under three-minute runtime and lack of evolution, the song feels like an obvious breather. Overall, however, Johnson and company sound completely comfortable throughout The Pet Parade, as if they’re working from a home-field advantage.

If The Pet Parade doesn't break new ground, it does offer comfort and compassion wrapped in a honeyed, effortless indie folk that honors the project's now-long tenure.

He brings in some effective collaborators (most notably Bonny Light Horseman buddy Josh Kaufman) for yet another strong album, well-timed for its false-spring release as a cure for the grayness of a long winter.