Bon Iver shares new single and announces EP, ‘Sable’
Justin Vernon has announced a new Bon Iver EP, Sable, which is set to arrive on October 18th via Jagjaguwar.
Sable marks the first new Bon Iver record in five years, following the release of the critically acclaimed I, I in 2019. The EP will feature three new songs, and finds Vernon returning to the roots of Bon Iver.
The songs were written between 2020 and 2023, while Vernon was grappling with the idea of healing, according to press material. The tracks were recorded in Wisconsin at April Base, alongside some of Vernon’s trusted collaborators, producer Jim E-Stack and viola player Rob Moose.
The songs focus back in on Vernon’s talent with a guitar and a microphone, while the lyrics delve into guilt and darkness. The first glimpse at the EP, ‘S P E Y S I D E’, is out now.
‘S P E Y S I D E’ features gentle guitar strums and strained vocals. Lyrically, it focuses on suffering and regret. “I know now that I can’t make good, but how I wish I could go back and put me where you stood,” Vernon sings in the opening to the song.
Sable will feature two more new songs, titled ‘Things Behind Things Behind Things’ and ‘Awards Season’. It will arrive on October 18th.
Although Vernon hasn’t put out a new record under the Bon Iver name in over five years, the project hasn’t been left entirely inactive. A string of singles followed the release of I, I, including collaborations with The National and Ethan Gruska. Bon Iver also featured on the title track for Taylor Swift’s ninth studio record, Evermore, in 2020.
Vernon has also toured widely over the last five years. Bon Iver have taken to huge venues and festival stages across the world, from Wembley Arena in London to Day In Day Out Festival in Seattle. Despite a busy few years on the road, Vernon currently has no tour dates in the schedule for Bon Iver, but this may change following the upcoming release.
Outside of Bon Iver, Vernon released a new record with Big Red Machine, his duo with Aaron Dessner, in 2021, and worked with DeYarmond Edison on their 2023 record, Epoch. In the same year, he also lent his voice to a Beyoncé and Travis Scott track, titled ‘Delresto’, as well as a collaboration between Travis Scott and Sampha titled ‘My Eyes’.
Sable, the new EP from Bon Iver, is out on October 18th. The first single, ‘S P E Y S I D E’, is out now.
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