The dark clouds shrouding Bon Iver’s discography have lifted.

In his latest LP, frontman Justin Vernon departs from the melancholy of his previous work to embrace the power of love and new beginnings. In the band’s first album since 2019, production is unrestrained and themes are lighter than they have ever been, but Vernon’s lyrics are just as poetic.

The “Skinny Love” singer-songwriter diverts from his thematic and musical barriers to produce an album of hope. Just don’t be fooled by the first four tracks.

This first part of the album should sound familiar to fans. It’s “SABLE,,” the EP the band released in October. In the context of the longer work, the steady percussion of folksy “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” and the guitar-led “S P E Y S I D E” act as a sorrowful prologue to the record.

Closing out the album’s opening section is the stripped-back “AWARDS SEASON,” where Vernon’s voice takes the fore in its outro. The standout track sets the album up as a natural continuation of the somber, bruised caricature Vernon has presented in his work — which is still beautiful, but nothing new.

Instead, Vernon marries the two spheres of the piece: “But I’m a sable / And honey, us the fable.” Though a small transition flows at this turning point, it is all that binds these parts together.

In lieu of the same soundscape, there’s a sudden shift into the lilting keys and haunting falsetto of “Short Story” to start the LP’s next section. The band’s website describes “fABLE” as an “outstretched hand” compared to the solitude in “SABLE.” The second part of the album is lined with tracks suited for listeners’ spring playlists, as Vernon’s ecstasy carries through “fABLE” and remains a welcome departure from the first half’s blues.

“Everything Is Peaceful Love” is a pop-like meditation on a new relationship as a source of strength. Vernon does not claim love solves his life’s questions, but he relishes in the fact that “every little thing” undergoes a metamorphosis with the right person. The dreamy “Walk Home” stresses this theme: “And we can shed your earthly burdens / Of this I am certain of.”

In another world, ninth track “From” could have been a middling song with a repetition of the same motifs. Instead, Vernon and company produce a rich, layered track on the possibilities of this new love. Enamored but not naive, Vernon croons: “I’m beset with what we could become.”

“If Only I Could Wait,” a ballad featuring Danielle Haim, is the only lull in an otherwise expansive second section. The melody remains flat and sonically similar throughout, unlike the album’s other feature, “Day One” with Dijon and Flock of Dimes. The latter benefits from dynamic synths and harmonies that crescendo throughout its playtime.

A parallel to the prelude “…,” reflective closer “Au Revoir” rounds out the highs with its muted instrumental, leaving the listener awash with tranquility.

Vernon has hinted at retirement in the last few years and recently told The Guardian he “might peace out” after this release. If he does, this album is a powerful capstone to an already-compelling catalog and storied career.

In “SABLE, fABLE,” Vernon makes a poignant choice to be reborn within his music by leading with euphoria, another experimental addition that listeners will return to for years.

Email: b.villaflor@dailynorthwestern.com

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