Bon Iver's New ‘SABLE,’ EP: Lyrics, Release Date & Tracklist

Ever since Bon Iver - the brainchild of Justin Vernon - released For Emma, Forever Ago, in 2007, the alt-folk maverick has increasingly embraced experimentation, with each new release growing obscurer and more enigmatic. His most recent project, 2019's i,i doubled-down on the twitchy distortion of 2016's 22, A Million.

However, Bon Iver's 2024 EP, SABLE,, marks a return to a more pared down setting, with Vernon spending much of the project crooning introspectively alongside the gentle hum of an acoustic guitar. Comprising just three songs and a 12-second introduction, SABLE, serves as Bon Iver's first body of work in over five years.

The EP was signalled by the release of ‘S P E Y S I D E’, a raw, intimate reflection on mistakes made and wrong-turns taken, and - crucially - the friends that were hurt in the process. The track was penned in 2021 in Key West, with the official press release underlining that Bon Iver's wistful lyrics here are autobiographical.

‘THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS’ was the first song written for SABLE, with Bon Iver crafting this in 2020. According to his website, it was inspired by Vernon's experiences with anxiety and a disorienting sense of uncertainty about his future as an artist, following more than a decade of playing the character of ‘Bon Iver’. ‘THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS’ was debuted as part of a performance at a Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign live-stream.

‘AWARDS SEASON’, the last of the three full-length songs on SABLE, was written most recently. Bon Iver conjured up verses while walking around Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis in 2023, as he mused about being tilted off-kilter due to significant life changes.

Although Bon Iver makes a reference to the term ‘SABLE’ in the unreleased ‘Haven, Mass’ (“Pond in north face eyes center's sable / Just like cinders in a prairie fire”), it appears unrelated. The EP was titled after the word for ‘near-blackness’, representing the inner struggles and distress experienced by Vernon during its creation.

Fans are hoping SABLE, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to new music from Bon Iver, with the expectation being that this will pave the way for a full album in 2025. SABLE, drops on October 18th, following the arrival of ’S P E Y S I D E’ on September 20th.

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