Bon Iver Unveils First Album in Six Years, “Sable, Fable”
Bon Iver has returned with “Sable, Fable,” their fifth studio album and the first since 2019. The record weaves together 12 tracks, including the previously unveiled “Everything Is Peaceful Love,” “Walk Home,” and “If Only I Could Wait,” featuring Danielle Haim of HAIM.
The album boasts contributions from Dijon and Flock of Dimes, who lend their voices to the track “Day One.” “Sable, Fable” unfolds in two acts, with the first half incorporating four songs from the October 2024 EP “Sable.”
Described in a press release as both “the next chapter” and an “epilogue” for Bon Iver, the album is framed as “a love story set to vivid, succulent pop music.” Frontman Justin Vernon joined forces with producers Jim-E Stack, known for his work with Caroline Polachek and Lorde, and BJ Burton, a longtime collaborator who shaped Bon Iver’s “22, A Million” (2016) and the single “PDLIF.”
Early reviews of “Sable, Fable” are glowing. NME draws parallels with Charli XCX’s “Brat” (2024), noting shared existential threads woven into the lyrics. Exclaim suggests listeners will be left eager for the band’s next narrative twist. DIY Magazine observes that Justin Vernon emerges wiser and more seasoned, particularly when measured against Bon Iver’s raw debut, “For Emma, Forever Ago” (2007). Glide Magazine calls the album “a stunning emotional psychedelic pop journey,” while Clash Music hails it as “a record of rare beauty and hope.” Even the discerning Pitchfork awards “Sable, Fable” an 8.1 out of 10, deeming it the boldest entry in Bon Iver’s discography.
