Bon Iver’s music has always felt like a space to escape into. Whether it’s the hushed intimacy of For Emma, Forever Ago or the warped electronic textures of 22, A Million, each album has built a world of its own. With Sable, Fable arriving on April 11, 2025, that world is about to expand once again.
Available for Pre-order on Apple Music
This time, Justin Vernon seems to be weaving together the reflective, stripped-back tones of the recent Sable EP with something grander and more radiant. The album is being described as a love story told through lush, immersive pop, hinting at an emotional depth that stretches beyond his past work. With collaborations from Dijon, Flock of Dimes, and Danielle Haim, it feels like Sable, Fable will bring both familiar warmth and new textures into Bon Iver’s universe.
Where It All Began
Looking back, it’s hard to overstate just how much Bon Iver’s sound has evolved. What started as one man in a Wisconsin cabin with a guitar and a broken heart, turned into something much bigger.
Bon Iver, Bon Iver introduced sweeping instrumentation and expansive arrangements. 22, A Milliontwisted folk into something unrecognizable, with its glitchy vocals and layered electronics. Then came i,i, which somehow bridged all of it together, warmth, the experimental with deeply human concepts.
Each album has marked a shift, and Sable, Fable looks set to continue that tradition.
The Making of Sable, Fable
Bon Iver’s albums are often shaped by the spaces they are recorded in. This time, April Base, Vernon’s personal studio in Fall Creek, Wisconsin, was the creative hub. After undergoing renovations, it reopened for this album, becoming a gathering place for the musicians who helped bring the new album to life.
Alongside Vernon, Jim-E Stack played a key role in production. He has worked with Bon Iver before, contributing to singles like “PDLIF” and “AUATC,” and his touch seems to be woven throughout the new album. Sable, Fable is also staying with Jagjaguwar, the label that has been Bon Iver’s home since the very beginning.
What to Expect
There are already signs that this album will carry two distinct moods. The Sable EP, released earlier, gave us three tracks that will appear as the opening suite of the album, ‘Things Behind Things Behind Things,’ ‘S P E Y S I D E’ and ‘Awards Season.’ These songs have a sparse, reflective feel, suggesting that Sable, Fable will start in a quiet place before expanding into something bigger.
That shift from introspection to something more open and celebratory feels exciting. Bon Iver has always been about transformation, whether in sound or emotion, which this album seems to be embracing completely.
Touring and What’s Next
Bon Iver has yet to announce a tour for Sable, Fable, but it’s hard to imagine this album won’t make its way to the stage. Vernon’s live shows are just as much about reinvention as the albums themselves, with old songs reshaped into new forms, turning each performance into something unpredictable.
As Sable, Fable approaches, there’s a sense that this album might be a moment of clarity for Bon Iver. A full-circle moment where everything he’s done before converges into something fresh, yet unmistakably him.
SABLE, fABLE, is available for pre-add on Apple Music and is set for release on April 11th 2025.
Photos by Graham Tolbert.
