It’s been five years since genre-defining, indie-folk band Bon Iver released i,i. To say I’ve been waiting for their next release would be an understatement.
Bon Iver’s latest EP, SABLE,, captures a familiar, raw melancholy reminiscent of their 2007 breakthrough debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago. The essence of “cabin-folk” is palpable throughout both, not only in the sentimental lyrics but also in the raw emotion of the songs. If For Emma, Forever Ago was the beginning of Bon Iver’s journey, SABLE, embodies the lessons learned along the way. Abandoning the experimental folktronica sound of i,i, the three songs in SABLE, offer a cleaner sound, featuring layers of fingerstyle guitar and frontman Justin Vernon’s signature guttural falsetto. Written during a period of anxiety and self-doubt, SABLE, distinguishes the identity of Justin Vernon from that of Bon Iver; as Vernon says in a statement released with the album, “being Bon Iver meant playing a part.” Wrapped up in a modest twelve minutes, SABLE, draws inspiration from all of Bon Iver’s previous albums, unraveling Vernon’s identity in three short songs.
The album opens with a shrill hum, a disorienting lead-up to the first song, “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS.” “…”, the title of the intro track, not only introduces the album but declares it; it hooks the listener by creating a haunting air of anticipation.
The first real song of the album, “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS,” begins with a palpitating, muted guitar rhythm, followed by two trebly guitars swelling and receding in a melancholic guitar line. The song is by far the most instrumentally involved of the three: with an echoey synth and violin backing the two main guitars, the song is an atmospheric and chamber-folk style start to the album. Justin Vernon’s husky baritone voice cuts through the instrumental mix as he sings about an insecurity of his own identity and a loss of grip on his art: “I get caught looking in the mirror on the regular / and what I see there resembles some competitor.” The song, which was first written in 2020, encapsulates the anxiety and uncertainty in a changing world. It is poignant in the ambiguity of its repeated refrain: “there are things behind things behind things/and there are rings within rings within rings.” Using the image of the rings of a tree, Vernon admits to fearing his inability to escape time. Strangely enough, the song itself serves as an escape. Within its melodic and lyrical stagnancy, time seems to stop, taken over by the melancholy of the guitar line, the haziness of the fading synths, and the heaviness of Vernon’s voice.
Featuring little more than a reverb-boosted guitar line and vocals, “S P E Y S I D E” is a pleasant transition into Bon Iver’s more transcendental, singer-songwriter style. Originally released as a single, “S P E Y S I D E” holds its own both as a stand-alone song and also as an essential component of the album. Defined by a quivering falsetto and clean, wistful vocals, the song, like the previous one, remains relatively stagnant in its composition. In both “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” and “S P E Y S I D E,” Bon Iver tastefully avoids any of the experimental instrumentation of his previous albums. The song’s power, then, lies foremost in his honest lyrics. It’s emotionally raw, it’s an apology, it’s an inner monologue: “Man, I’m so sorry / I got the best of me.” Almost self-indulgent in its honesty, “S P E Y S I D E” is an intensely raw catharsis and a pivot around which the album centers.
The music winds down completely with the final track of the album, “AWARDS SEASON.” Defined by its instrumental emptiness, “AWARDS SEASON” begins with a hollow, whistling sound before Vernon begins to sing. If “S P E Y S I D E” was an apology, “AWARDS SEASON” is self-forgiveness. The song starts off tentatively, both in its lyrics and instrumentation: “I can handle / way more than I can handle.” Although the lyrics may sound like the beginning to another apology, the song turns quickly to something more like acceptance. As the soft whistling in the background grows to a howling wind and the chords on the piano begin to ring like church bells, “AWARDS SEASON” climaxes with an ensemble of horns. It is a mix of self-forgiveness and resignation; it is the state of understanding in confusion. The longest song on the album, “AWARDS SEASON” never quite ends; the wind grows softer and the whistling shallower, but there is no true end to accepting yourself. The song fades out, and the listener is left longing for a resolution that Vernon does not grant.
In Bon Iver’s SABLE, is the emergence of a newfound confidence. The culmination of a three-year-long breakdown, SABLE, takes the listener through a journey of suffering and self-forgiveness; as each track loses more instruments, Vernon’s poignant lyrics and heady vocals take absolute control over the album. Although Vernon does not provide a conclusion, he provides a glimpse of himself, transcendental in its honesty. It is this exact honesty with which SABLE, was written that gives Bon Iver’s music a tangible soul.
Yaelin Hough is a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].