Fruition - Watching It All Fall Apart (2018)

Folksy rock quintet Fruition offer just enough variation on their fifth effort, Watching It All Fall Apart, to make the album a worthwhile listen not only for existing fans but also for those looking for an accessible, song-centric entry point into their back catalog. Channeling intense emotions and exploring new sonics, the Portland, Oregon band injects its down-home, campfire twang with a few surprises, like the rollicking kiss-off "I'll Never Sing Your Name" and the morbid yet jaunty "Turn to Dust." Even the tense and frustrated "Lonesome Prayer" provides cathartic emotional release in its driving closing moments. However, despite these energetic bursts and other warm, pleasant atmospherics, this is a breakup album packed with thoroughly melancholy and bittersweet lyrical content. Vocalist Mimi Naja owns two heartbreaking highlights -- "Northern Town" and "I Should Be (On Top of the World)" -- a pair of whiskey-soaked laments that recall the bluesiest lows of Sheryl Crow or Bonnie Raitt. Other standouts include the searing "There She Was" and the pensive "Eraser." So while Watching It All Fall Apart might be their most focused and sonically exciting full-length to date, it's also a deeply fulfilling emotional experience. With this balance, Fruition demonstrate an untapped depth previously unexplored. -- Neil Z. Yeung