Nearly two decades into their career, Portland’s Fruition have reached a point where evolution seems less like a deliberate reinvention than a natural consequence of growing together. Something More, their eighth studio album and first for Bloodshot Records, finds the band widening the boundaries of its Americana foundation without abandoning the harmonies and melodic songwriting that have always defined them. Produced by Grammy winner Tucker Martine and recorded over seven days at his Flora Recording & Playback studio in Portland, the 11-song album incorporates indie rock, pop, soul and ’70s soft rock alongside the band’s roots influences. Martine’s involvement is particularly significant: his vintage instruments and analog equipment become part of the record’s sonic vocabulary, giving these songs a greater sense of atmosphere and texture.
That musical expansion is matched by a change in how the songs were written. Founding members Jay Cobb Anderson, Kellen Asebroek and Mimi Naja moved away from their traditional model of writing separately and then bringing songs to the band, instead spending time writing together during retreats in Colorado and Southern California. The difference is audible in the record’s sense of cohesion. “Compass” opens with a gently searching meditation on finding direction amid uncertainty, while “Oh Well” turns self-reflection into a warm, rootsy rocker. Naja takes the lead on “Matters of the Heart,” and “How Does It Feel” slows the pace with a distinctly softer, ’70s-inspired sound. Even as the musical approaches change from song to song, the three voices and Fruition’s instinctive harmonies keep the album anchored.
The record becomes particularly adventurous as it progresses. “Reason to Live” settles into an affectionate folk-rock groove, while “Forward” mixes piano, funk-inflected bass and guitar into one of the album’s harder-to-categorize moments. “I’m Not Afraid” is an even sharper departure, opening into muscular indie-rock territory with soaring guitars and anthemic harmonies. “Somewhere Down the Line” brings horns into the mix, giving the song an infectious, almost Motown-inspired lift. Throughout, the production adds color without burying the band: pedal steel, horns, organ, vintage keyboards and other textures appear around the songs rather than overwhelming them.
The final stretch is where Fruition’s collaborative approach pays its biggest emotional dividends. “Something More” leans into gospel-like harmonies, while “By Now” is the album’s only song written collectively by all three principal songwriters, bringing Anderson, Asebroek and Naja together vocally in a performance that gradually builds in intensity. “All Over” closes the album in a much more stripped-down setting, using a simple rhythmic foundation to leave the record on a reflective note. Something More ultimately feels like a band taking stock of nearly twenty years together and deciding that experience shouldn’t mean standing still. Fruition haven’t left their roots behind; they’ve simply given themselves more room to grow around them, and the resulting album captures a group trusting its chemistry enough to find out what else it can become. – Jason Felton