By Kourtney Gierke, Contributor

[Jagjaguwar; 2024]

Rating: 8/10

Known for his indie folk tunes and heart-shattering lyrics, Bon Iver is back at it with the release of his newest EP. After releasing “S P E Y S I D E” in late September, the four track EP SABLE, was released on Oct. 18. With a total length of under fifteen minutes, Bon Iver – the alias of musician Justin Vernon – takes his familiar sound but explores the uncertainty and anxiety of his own emotions.

SABLE, opens with “…” – twelve seconds of an eerie pitched tone – which quickly leads to the second track, “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS.” In this song, Vernon maintains that classic Bon Iver acoustic folk sound. The guitar fingerpicking is layered with heavenly backing instrumentation. The lyrics are extremely repetitive, but for good reason. His repetition highlights the thesis of this album: a portrayal of grief and anxiety. He follows the title line with the lyrics “and there are rings within rings within rings,” visually portraying the never ending loop of anxiety that goes deeper and deeper internally. The simple lyrics do an incredible job at portraying Vernon’s compulsive thoughts. 

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Originally written in 2020, “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS,” as Bon Iver writes, was “born of the restless anxiety and facing up to everything that leads to it,” primarily about what comes next for his career. SABLE, seems to be a very natural progression for his career as he further develops his sound and introduces new instruments and backing vocals.

Both “S P E Y S I D E” and “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” open with a beautiful guitar instrumentation, but are almost too similar. SABLE, aims for a raw, one-take autobiographical album. For an EP with only four songs, it’s a good choice on Vernon’s behalf. The lyrics for “S P E Y S I D E” are spaced out, not quite following the typical song structure. There is no discernable chorus or verse for the track. The song varies between Vernon’s quiet singing and louder strumming. He sings “I really damn been on such a violent spree / But maybe you can still make a man from me / Here on Speyside quay.” Even though the tracks initially seemed too identical to one another, the intent of the two tracks and their meanings tie together well.

The EP closes with its fourth song, “AWARDS SEASON.” A change from the previous two songs, “AWARDS SEASON” opens a cappella. The five minute track slowly introduces backing instrumentation a minute into the song. He declares “I’m a sable / and honey, us, the fable” as backing vocals make their appearance. “AWARDS SEASON” plays like a journey of grief; going from denial to acceptance of a dying relationship. The song peaks with a saxophone solo from Michael Lewis between the chorus and second verse before venturing back into the closing a cappella. The star of the EP, “AWARDS SEASON” does an incredible job describing the fading dynamic of a relationship. Vernon closes SABLE, with the brilliant lines “Why do things have to change? / We were on our way / To be best to face all that comes in gray / It’s so hard to explain and the facts are strange / But you know what will stay? / Everything we’ve made,” detailing the expectations of a relationship ending that was supposed to last. The instrumentation matches the lyricism well, audibly depicting the emotions Vernon is describing.

SABLE, is, without a doubt, the most vulnerable and “open” work for Vernon thus far in his decade-long career. Bon Iver says the title is named from “near-blackness, the record an externalized projection of his turmoil. This trio of songs represents an unburdening from one of the most trying eras in Vernon’s life.” And personally, he did a great job at conveying these emotions and expanding upon his already incredible discography.

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