Update: After sharing yet another new song called “RABi” this morning, Bon Iver have confirmed that their upcoming album, i,i, will be released digitally on August 9. This comes after the group shared eight tracks today, August 8 (aka 8/8). Listen to “RABi” below.
The original post follows below.
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Bon Iver are gearing up to release their new album i,i at the end of the month, and ahead of then, they’ve already shared “Hey, Ma,” “U (Man Like),” “Faith,” and “Jelmore.” That’s a decent chunk of the 13-song album that’s available before its release, and now Bon Iver have made the majority of the record listenable right now: This morning, Justin Vernon and company have shared “iMi,” “We,” “Holyfields,” “Naeem,” “Marion,” “Salem,” and “Sh’Diah.”
“iMi” is a traditionally-styled Bon Iver song with electronic percussion, “We” is a shorter alternative track, “Holyfields” is swelling and subtly anthemic, “Naeem” builds up to a huge indie catharsis, “Marion” is a short, simple, and sweet folk track, “Salem” is an electronic-influenced song with a big hook, and “Sh’Diah” is a warm and meditative number.
These uploads all come the day after some folks have already had the chance to hear the entire album at one of the i,i listening parties that took place yesterday. It appears the group is actually sharing the entire album ahead of its previously announced August 30 release date: Aside from these new tracks being posted hourly, Justin Vernon also shared album opener “Yi” on the Bon Iver subreddit, and some fans have seen Amazon list the album’s release date as August 9.
Vernon previously said of the record, “It feels very much like the most adult record, the most complete. It feels like when you get through all this life, when the sun starts to set, and what happens is you start gaining perspective. And then you can put that perspective into more honest, generous work.”
Listen to “iMi,” “We,” “Holyfields,” “Naeem,” “Marion,” “Salem,” and “Sh’Diah” below.
i,i is out 8/30 via Jagjaguwar. Pre-order it here.
