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Apr 17, 2025 Web Exclusive By Scotty Dransfield

After years of sonic obfuscation and winding lyrical explorations, Justin Vernon has touched ground. SABLE, fABLE, his first Bon Iver album since 2019’s i,i, is a radiant clearing—a psychedelic R&B-inflected peace offering from an artist who’s been doing some internal landscaping. If i,i was one man calling for connection in the midst of a storm, SABLE, fABLE is the sunrise over calmer seas, achieving the intimacy and humanity that’s always seemed just a little out of reach for Bon Iver.

The album is split conceptually between SABLE, a trio of songs released last year acting as a kind of emotional prologue, and fABLE, the main “book,” which contains the new evolution of the group’s sound. Vernon has described SABLE, as “a controlled burn,” clearing away the heavy fog of past personas—the isolated sad-man myth that calcified around his early work. fABLE, then, is the regeneration: an open-hearted walk through the kind of soul, soft rock, and funky R&B commonly heard on ’80s and ’90s radio. It all works admirably—depending on the mindset of the listener.

Proper fABLE opener “Short Story” gently signals the shift. “You will never be complete / And the strain and thirst are sweet,” Vernon sings, not as a lament but a mantra of acceptance. The synths are lush, orchestral even, but there’s less noise, less armor—everything breathes.

What follows is Vernon at his most unguarded and groove-forward. “Everything is Peaceful Love” is aptly named, a sunshine-drenched psych jam made to be played during a shared trip in a field. “Day One,” with Dijon and Flock of Dimes, continues the vibe with buttery vocals and a beat that flirts with early-aughts neo-soul radio. “From” is shamelessly cheesy—smooth-jazz horns and tender confessions—but somehow it works. Vernon’s always been earnest; here, he just stops hiding behind glitchy vocal layers.

Not every track hits—the pastiche of “I’ll Be There” veers dangerously close to Maroon 5 territory—but even the misses feel sincere. And “There’s a Rhythmn,” with its Rhodes keys and pedal steel, is the best song from this new version of Bon Iver: beautifully simple and achingly lovely, it stretches out for over five welcome minutes. The closer “Au Revoir” mirrors the opener in tone, dissolving into ambient farewell.

Even for those who may not be in the mood for all this peace and love, it’s hard not to read this album as a personal triumph. Vernon’s writing is looser, less cryptic, and often more effective for it. He sounds like a man in love—with life, with people, with the possibility of joy. That might alienate listeners who come to Bon Iver for winter sadness, but SABLE, fABLE doesn’t care. (www.boniver.org)

Author rating: 7.5/10