Pick of the Week: Bon Iver “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS”

By Gavin Miller, Web Services Coordinator

Bon Iver returned when we needed him most last fall, and the songs on his brief but spacious EP “SABLE,” still ring gorgeous as ever. The high, reverberating strings and tender lyrics on “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” are a standout of the entire project. No matter where Justin Vernon, the mind behind Bon Iver, ventures next, the singer-songwriter’s 2024 return to form is warmly welcomed. 

A Personal Portrait

For Emma, Forever Ago is creeping toward two decades since its release. 2019’s i,i (the last full-length Bon Iver LP) is over five years old. It was the dead middle of October, and Justin Vernon seemed discontent. A series of high profile features had followed his full-length LP, but understanding “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS,” and, moreover, “SABLE,” as a project, means understanding this context. Rarely does one get such an intimate portrait of an artist so uncomfortable but calm in the spotlight so long into their career. “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” is the crux of the memoir that “SABLE,” portrays.

Stripped-Down Songwriting

“I would like the feeling/ I would like the feeling/ I would like the feeling gone,” Vernon sings in the song’s opening lines. There are several potential meanings for the “feeling” that the sparse EP illuminates: fear, pressure, inauthenticity. “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” doesn’t stray from the honesty of these feelings; it confronts them in straightforward writing.

At the track’s center lies the line “I am afraid/ of changing.” As Vernon’s voice pauses mid-sentence, the instrumental leaps out. After a few seconds of suspense, the velvety voice returns. The production is clear, so the mere moments of absent vocals bring out the details one may have not realized. Ultimately, this quiet moment feels like a synecdoche for the entire EP: stripping things down to their bare, beautiful qualities, brings out a greater self-understanding for Bon Iver. This is a complex, reflected by the track’s final lyrics, where Justin Vernon sings, “And there are rings, within rings, within rings.”

Collaborations and Continuations

After collaborating with Charli XCX and Taylor Swift in recent years, one might expect “SABLE,” to be a grand endorsement of accomplishing mainstream stardom. When the EP opens with a 12 second, high-pitched track, this idea is immediately dismissed. The repetitive drum beat that plays at the beginning of “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS,” and the repeating lyrics that go along with it also suggest a denial of Bon Iver’s continually rising status. The track feels cyclical and majestic, but Vernon is introspective more than reflective; it is honest and inward. Even when the project’s closing track “AWARD SEASON” comes to an end, and Vernon is seemingly reflecting on others, it may all come back to self-reflection.

Near the end of “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” Bon Iver sings “a little further” after the titular line is sung. As Vernon develops his craft after years in the industry, he dives deeper into himself, always a “little further.”

Bon Iver has no upcoming tour dates, and has a quite random release schedule. However, his openness to collaborations and recent EP sets a high standard for what’s to come. No matter when Bon Iver releases further music, listeners can relax with the endless replayability of “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS.” When an artist takes their time and focuses as Justin Vernon does, teh results, even if contained, are always brilliant. So, stay tuned for any new music and listen to “SABLE,” for some healthy peace of mind.

Every Monday, our music staff brings you a new Pick of The Week, detailing some of our favorite songs. Check out our previous Picks of the Week here, and make sure to tune in to WERS 88.9FM!