After showing them off at All Points East Festival in the UK this week, Big Feelings Haver™ Bon Iver quietly dropped two new tracks overnight, a perfect soundtrack for the absolute miserable weather outside along most of the east coast.
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It’s the first new music we’ve gotten from the Wisconsin dreamy indie folk lad since 22, A Million back in 2016, and it’s still been just enough to make me lie down in a darkened room and want to cry.
For the record, City & Colour also dropped new music yesterday, and Sufjan Stevens released music for Pride earlier this week, and The National‘s new album arrived last month, so I’m taking this as a personal attack on my feelings and emotions, thank you VERY much.
Anyone else want to ruin me right before my birthday? Conor Oberst? Iron & Wine???
‘Hey Ma‘ is a heartwrenching track that leans back into the sounds of 22, A Million while incorporating instrumentals reminiscent of 2011‘s Bon Iver, Bon Iver, with Justin Vernon‘s melodic crooning punctured by altered vocals embraced by a soft rolling drum beat and swelling instruments.
The repeated signpost lyrics “Hey Ma, hey Ma” are absolutely sure to become a crowd favourite, and I can’t wait to see thousands of people singing this one back to him at the next Bon Iver show.
Meanwhile ‘U (Man Like)‘ is a touch more upbeat, with bright piano backing Vernon’s full-bodied voice, with sweeping backups from the Brooklyn Youth Chorus joining him and Moses Sumney. It’s minimal and to-the-point, but celebrates the journey of how Bon Iver has evolved from a one-man-band in Vernon, to a whole family of incredible artists.
Team Bon Iver are also headed out on a big tour across North America through August, September, and November, so if you happen to be haunting around there I HIGHLY suggest you check out a show.
Have you registered for the presale? https://t.co/aCpug6LsGR fan club presale tickets will be available for purchase with a unique code. Assigned codes can be found by registering for or logging into an existing account at https://t.co/FLyD97gIDF. #icommai [1 of 2] pic.twitter.com/R8et3LvS9c
— Bon Iver (@boniver) June 3, 2019
Go and make yourself a big cup of tea and let these new Bon Iver tracks wash over you, because as if the immense amount of rain and cold outside isn’t the perfect time to get real emotional over music.
