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Bon Iver Announces New Album i, i, Releases “Faith” and “Jelmore”

Bon Iver have announced their next album, entitled i,i. The record is due out on August 30 via Jagjaguwar. The Justin Vernon-led project has released two new songs in conjunction with the announcement, “Faith” and “Jelmore,” along with accompanying lyric videos. The songs follow last month’s release of two other songs set to be included on the album, “Hey, Ma” and “U (Man Like),” and a playful teaser video last week.

In a statement about the album, Justin Vernon explained: “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.”

i,i features contributions from James Blake, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, Bruce Hornsby, Moses Sumney, Brad and Phil Cook, and many more. The album was recorded at the Sonic Ranch studio in West Texas. “I don’t think I left the property in six weeks,” Vernon continued. “And in many ways the story of the album is the story of those six weeks rather than the almost six years of some of the songs.”

What does i,i mean, you might ask? Well, it has something to do with—that’s right, the self. “The title of the record can mean whatever it means to you or me,” Vernon explained. “It can mean deciphering and bolstering one’s identity. It can be how important the self is and how unimportant the self is, how we’re all connected.”

As was previously announced, Bon Iver will begin a run of North American dates directly following the album’s release in late August; he is currently playing shows in Europe. Listen to “Faith” and “Jelmore,” and check out the track list and cover for i,i, below.

1. Yi
2. iMi
3. We
4. Holyfields,
5. Hey, Ma
6. U (Man Like)
7. Naeem
8. Jelmore
9. Faith
10. Marion
11. Salem
12. Sh’Diah
13. RABi