The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, that’s right folks, Bon Iver is back. After slipping into an indefinite hiatus in 2012, Justin Vernon took a break from Bon Iver. He said the name was becoming too well known, fearing his ego would expand too far. In the past four years he’s kept his musical involvement on the DL, producing music with side project Volcano Choir, appearing on Kanye West’s “Yeezus”, most recently singing the outro of “White Ferrari” on Frank Ocean’s new album “Blonde.” He’s been a busy man- but Vernon recently dropped two new songs off of his Junior album, “22, A Million” which is set to release on the 30th of September. Since the tracks, “22 (Over S∞∞n)” and “10 d E A T h b R E a s T” are currently streaming on every music service available, I thought I’d listen to and review the songs, so you don’t have to.
At a first glance, the names of these songs seemed like they were ripped out of windings hell. However, what the names lack in english linguistics the songs made up for in chord progression. “22 (Over S∞∞n)”began with a faint, repetitive hum while a voice, most likely a sample, gently cooed, “It might be over soon.” As the song progressed, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of deja vu. The intro reminded me of one of his older songs, “Lisbon, OH.” When Vernon’s soft voice finally made it’s way into the song, the familiar mood Bon Iver creates began to shine. His opening lines, “Where you gonna look for confirmation?/ And if it's ever gonna happen/ So as I'm standing at the station/ It might be over soon” seemed to set the stage for Bon Iver’s 3rd studio album. After nearly half a decade of soul searching, Vernon came back with a plan. Metaphorically, he’s “standing at the station,” possibly ready to embark on a new journey. That’s just one theory, thanks to genius.com. Overall, the first song off of this single blew me out of the water; every time Vernon manages to combine synths with acoustic guitar and piano, creating an ethereal vibe in the process I’m left speechless. Here he’s done it again, this time with a bit more edge, displaying how much Bon Iver’s sound has changed since his self-titled sophomore record. 9/10.
After a few seconds of silence (and contemplation), the staccato rhythm of “10 d E A T h b R E a s T” began, knocking me back into motion. Like many of Bon Iver’s previous songs, this is about heartbreak. As Vernon cried, “Darling didn't love right/ I've been sleeping in a stable, mate/ Not gonna do you no favors/ What I got is seen you trying/ Or take it down the old lanes around” I could empathize with a portion of his pain- his partner didn’t love him correctly, or completely, and even after trying to fix their relationship, nothing worked. While the lyrics were truly heartfelt and saddening, the song’s structure was seemingly unrecognizable. There was no chorus, or break in between verses. The song’s entirety was almost a free verse poem that seemed to be without a proper end. As the track was experimental and fresh compared to Vernon’s previous work, “10 d E A T h b R E a s T” did contain the familiarity of Bon Iver’s staple brass horns and distorted guitar, which found their way into the piece around the 1:45 mark, continuing to the end. In total, this track left me sad, a bit confused, while still wanting to know more about his heartbreak and possibly who caused it. 7/10.
The new album is just over a month away. What’s expected, based off of these two tracks, isn’t anything out of the ordinary; most likely a more refined and electronic version of Bon Iver self-titled, jam packed with the same sultry feelings and heartbreak that will inspire you to plan your next hiking trip to an obscure wooden forest. Until then, all you can do is sit tight and stare at the new Bon Iver $175 merchandise bundle, which features two vinyls, a custom bomber jacket, a poster, two stickers and two pins… just know the wait will be over soon.
