In SABLE, Bon Iver (that is, Justin Vernon’s latest self-examination with a guitar in hand) offers us a brief but arresting foray into the minefield of the lethargy of the 2020s. The three-track EP manages to pack more emotional ballast into its 15 minutes than most artists can squeeze into a full album.
Vernon’s perennial melancholy, now honed to the precision of a master craftsman, peels back layers to reveal something raw and disturbingly tender.
The first track, ‘THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS’, slouches towards self-awareness, wearing its fear of change like a badge of honour. Vernon’s falsetto is as haunting as ever, teetering between vulnerability and defiance. “I’m afraid of changing,” he admits, but it’s not the fear of change that lingers; it’s the feeling that maybe he’s afraid of staying the same. His voice, barely tethered to the fragile acoustic arrangement, demands we confront our own fears while he gazes into the abyss of his.
In ‘S P E Y S I D E’, Vernon takes his apology tour to new heights (or depths, depending on your view). His regrets spill forth, a half-mumbled confession that offers no resolution. You’re left wondering if he’s truly sorry or simply weary of the damage caused. The track’s sparse instrumentation does nothing to dilute the emotional punch. It’s Vernon at his most exposed, and it’s hard not to feel a little uncomfortable.
By the time we reach ‘AWARDS SEASON’, Vernon’s commentary on the music industry is more pointed than ever. There’s a slow build, as though he’s rearming himself for battle, until the crescendo finally delivers a release that is part relief, part resignation. The brass and piano swell, but they do so quietly, almost apologetically, as if aware that they are intruding on something sacred.
Bon Iver’s SABLE is a study in putting oneself under the microscope, a minimalist cry for help that offers no answers, only more questions. It is short, yes, but within its brevity lies an enormous, aching space – one that, for those who are brave enough, can help unlock our own.
Photo credit: Erinn Springer
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- acoustic music
- Album Review
- Bon Iver
- Indie Folk
- Jagjaguwar
- Justin Vernon
- minimalism
- Music Industry
- SABLE EP
