The midwest, particularly the part of the midwest Eric D. Johnson hails from, is a largely flat

expanse. Zipping through it on the highway, you’ll see cities and towns rise up in the distance, but

blink and you’ll miss other man-made rejoinders to horizontal living dotting the landscape, hill after

hill, built from the refuse of the past: landfills. Some of these hills make for great sledding spots,

parks, and trails. Others turn organic waste into compost. The Landfill, Fruit Bats’ June 12, 2026

album from Merge Records, is something else entirely: a mountain dominating the landscape of

Johnson’s heart.