Bon Iver - ‘8 (circle)’

With all his early teasers, Justin Vernon looked like he was trying to flip not just Bon Iver on its head with ‘22, A Million’, but the entire universe around him. Warped sounds ruled the roost on the likes of ‘22 (OVER S∞∞N)’, ‘10 D E A T H B R E A S T ⚄ ⚄’ and ‘33 “GOD”’, each of them lifted out of another dimension, chopped, diced and scattered across that signature falsetto, itself pitch-bent and vocodered within an inch of its life.

On ‘8 (circle)’, that experimentation takes a backseat. Sonically closest to the likes of ‘Bon Iver, Bon Iver”s weary storytelling, it leaves the wacko sounds at the door, but even with those insane new production flourishes scrapped, ‘22, A Million’ still houses some of Bon Iver’s finest moments.

“I’m standing in your street now, and I carry his guitar,” Vernon sings, painting himself in simpler shades than before. “I can’t recall it lightly at all, but I know I’m going in,” he continues. He’s back to his old self on ‘8 (circle)’ - forlorn and facing heartbreak, turning to music as a means to heal.

Bon Iver’s new album ‘22, A Million’ is released on 30th September via Jagjauwar.