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Justin Vernon’s Volcano Choir Becomes a Real Band in ‘Repave’ Documentary

Volcano Choir Justin Vernon Repave Video Documentary

Justin Vernon’s Volcano Choir project is making a strong return following a four-year absence. He and the fellas from Collections of Colonies of Bees came together in 2009 (mostly via email, it turns out) to make the more experimental, if somewhat fittingly aimless, Unmap LP. But as the mini documentary above reveals, the collaboration became a genuine band when they booked a run of Japanese dates.

After the Bees boys explain the change, the prolific Bon Iver leader lets slip, “I just felt like I was in a rock band almost for the first time.” He also speaks on the theme of their forthcoming second album, Repave: “Knowing that you have to change if you’re having a tough time in your life or you’re just hitting walls constantly. Or you keep having bold spiritual questions that you can’t answer. It’s usually because there isn’t a path for you, you’re not on that path.”

We’ve previously heard keif-enhanced “Byegone,” plus seen the wonderfully illuminated video for the same song. In the new Dan Huiting-directed short, we’re introduced to a hushed song called “Alaskans.” Spoiler alert: it’s really pretty.