Bon Iver has shared two new songs, and they're group affairs, featuring collaborators including Bruce Hornsby, Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner, Elsa Jensen, Psymun, Phil Cook, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and, most prominently, Moses Sumney, who features on "U (Man Like)," one of Justin Vernon's most soulful songs to date.
You can listen to that track and the new "Hey, Ma" below. Fans who found Bon Iver's last album, 2016's "22, A Million," a little fussy will be in for a pleasant surprise. The new tracks mark a return to more direct songwriting for Vernon.
The band premiered the songs last night during their set at All Points East festival, and they'll appear on a new Bon Iver album, according to a press release. Not much else is known about that album at this point, but the band has launched a new website, " icommai," that may provide some clues.
The new songs highlight how collaborative Bon Iver has grown over the years. "This project began with a single person, but throughout the last 11 years, the identity of Bon Iver has bloomed and can only be defined by the faces in the ever growing family we are," Vernon wrote in a press release.
Bon Iver also announced months of tour dates with openers including Feist, Yo La Tengo, Indigo Girls and Sharon Van Etten, starting in late August. But Milwaukee fans won't have to wait that long to see them, of course. The band will headline Summerfest on Saturday, June 29, with openers Lord Huron and Julien Baker.