Sable, Fable

Sable, Fable
Studio album by Bon Iver
Released	April 11, 2025
Studio	April Base (Fall Creek, Wisconsin) Hive (Eau Claire, Wisconsin)
Genre	R&B [1] [2] [3] soft rock [4] [3] pop soul [2]
Length	41:37
Label	Jagjaguwar
Producer	Justin Vernon Jim-E Stack BJ Burton Brian F Joseph Samuel Tsang
Bon Iver chronology
Sable (2024) Sable, Fable (2025)
Singles from Sable, Fable
"Everything Is Peaceful Love" Released: February 14, 2025 "If Only I Could Wait" / "Walk Home" Released: March 14, 2025

Sable, Fable (stylized as SABLE, fABLE) is the fifth studio album by American indie folk band Bon Iver, released on April 11, 2025, via Jagjaguwar. ^[5] The album is a continuation of the Sable EP (2024), which is included as a separate disc on vinyl. Marking the band's first album in nearly six years since I, I (2019), it features guest appearances from Dijon, Flock of Dimes, and Danielle Haim, with additional contributions from Kacy Hill, Jacob Collier and Mk.gee, among others. ^[6]

Produced by Justin Vernon and Jim-E Stack, it is musically split between Bon Iver's predominantly folk-leaning output showcased on Sable and the contemporary R&B, pop and soul-leaning Fable. ^{[2] [1]} Its lyrics primarily concern newfound love. ^{[7] [8]} The album received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with critics noting its brighter soundscapes and Vernon's more straightforward approach to songwriting. ^[9]

Background and recording

[Sable] is the darkest black on Earth… and it rhymes with 'fable'. I think it was a look back at this kind of man-in-a-cabin narrative I've been absorbing over these years, accepting it in a way. But the rest of the record is sort of me doing whatever I needed to do to be happy, for once.

–Justin Vernon on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , April 2, 2025 ^[10]

Justin Vernon co-produced the album with Jim-E Stack, ^[11] who had previously worked with Bon Iver on the 2020 non-album singles, "PDLIF" and "AUATC".

The album was primarily recorded at Vernon's April Base studio in Wisconsin after it had been inactive for years as it underwent renovation. The "conceptual genesis" for the album was on February 22, 2022, when Stack arrived at the studio with Danielle Haim, whose vocals are featured on "I'll Be There" and "If Only I Could Wait". ^[12] The album's announcement billed it as "Bon Iver's next chapter: the epilogue" and described it as a "love story set to lush, radiant pop music". ^[13]

Release and promotion

Sable, Fable was officially announced on February 11, 2025. ^[14] The first single "Everything Is Peaceful Love" was released on February 14, 2025, alongside a music video directed by filmmaker John Wilson. ^[12] "If Only I Could Wait" and "Walk Home" were released as singles simultaneously on March 14, 2025. ^[15]

In promotion of the album, the band announced collaborations with 31 brands, including Rough Trade East and Todd Snyder, all of which were only available on release day. ^{[16] [17]} A "state fair" album release party took place on April 12, a day after the album's release, at the Terasaki Budokan in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. ^[18] Multiple listening events, dubbed "Fable Spaces", were also organized on April 9 at certain locations around the world. ^{[18] [19]}

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.8/10 [20]
Metacritic	83/100 [21]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
The A.V. Club	A- [7]
Clash	9/10 [8]
The Daily Telegraph	[22]
DIY	[23]
MusicOMH	[24]
NME	[1]
The Observer	[25]
Pitchfork	8.1/10 [2]
Rolling Stone	[26]

Sable, Fable received acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 83, based on 24 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". ^[21]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Justin Vernon and Jim-E Stack and additionally produced by Asher Weisberg and Ryan Olson, except where listed.

The tracks were released on two discs on vinyl. The tracks on the CD and cassette releases were not divided in the same manner.

Disc one (vinyl) – Sable track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"..."	Justin Vernon Phil Cook Trever Hagen	Vernon Stack Weisberg [a]	0:12
2.	"Things Behind Things Behind Things"	Vernon Cook Hagen	Vernon Stack Weisberg [a]	3:20
3.	"Speyside"	Vernon Ryan Olson BJ Burton	Vernon Stack Weisberg [a]	3:29
4.	"Awards Season"	Vernon Michael Lewis		5:16
Total length:				12:17

Disc two (vinyl) – Fable track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Short Story"	Vernon Stack Eli Teplin Kacy Hill Weisberg		1:56
2.	"Everything Is Peaceful Love"	Vernon Burton Stack	Vernon Stack Burton Weisberg [a] Olson [a]	3:30
3.	"Walk Home"	Vernon Stack Teplin Lewis		3:46
4.	"Day One" (featuring Dijon and Flock of Dimes)	Vernon Dijon Duenas Jenn Wasner Burton Ilsey Juber Samuel Tsang	Vernon Stack Tsang Weisberg [a] Olson [a]	3:33
5.	"From"	Vernon Tobias Jesso Jr. Juber Jacob Collier Stack Michael Gordon		3:03
6.	"I'll Be There"	Vernon Danielle Haim Weisberg Teplin Lewis Stack		2:55
7.	"If Only I Could Wait" (featuring Danielle Haim)	Vernon Stack Haim		3:22
8.	"There's a Rhythmn"	Vernon Sean Carey Teplin Stack Juber	Vernon Stack Brian F Joseph [i] Weisberg [a] Olson [a]	5:16
9.	"Au Revoir"	Vernon Andrew Fitzpatrick Carey Matthew McCaughan Wasner Lewis Chris Messina		2:02
Total length:				29:20

Notes

• "..." is only present as a separate track on digital editions. Physical editions bundle it with "Things Behind Things Behind Things" for a combined length of 3:33.
• On vinyl, "Awards Season" ends with a droning noise in the locked groove, which would normally transition into "Short Story".
• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^[i]} signifies an initial producer
• "Awards Season" contains a sample of "Miles Away", written and performed by Phil Cook featuring Amelia Meath.

Personnel

Sable

Bon Iver Justin Vernon – vocals, guitar, bass, engineering, mixing, drums (1, 2), keyboards (4) Michael Lewis – piano, organ, saxophone (4)

Additional musicians Greg Leisz – guitar (1, 2, 4) Ben Lester – guitar (1, 2) Trever Hagen – flute, trumpet (1, 2) Rob Moose – viola (3) Eli Teplin – synthesizer (4) Blake Morgan – vocals (4) Carter Faith – vocals (4)

Technical Ian Gold – engineering Kyle Parker Smith – additional engineering Asher Weisberg – additional engineering, assistance BJ Burton – engineering (4) Javier Martinez Cruces – engineering (4) Tofer Brown – recording (4) Heba Kadry – mastering

Fable

Bon Iver Justin Vernon – vocals (all), bass (1–6, 8), guitar (1, 2, 4, 5, 7–9), synthesizer (1, 3), keyboards (2, 5, 6, 9), samples (3, 7), Wurlitzer (4, 8), drums (5, 6), percussion (6, 8) Jenn Wasner – vocals (1, 3, 4, 8), synthesizer (2, 3), group improvisation (9) Sean Carey – vocals (1, 8), brushes (6), slab (7), drums, keyboards (8), group improvisation (9) Michael Lewis – piano, horns (6), slab (7), saxophone (7, 8), group improvisation (9) Andrew Fitzpatrick – group improvisation (9) Matt McCaughan – group improvisation (9)

Additional vocalists Kacy Hill – vocals (1) Blake Morgan – vocals (1, 6) Dijon – vocals (4) Alaina Rose Brown – vocals (5, 6, 8) Stoud – vocals (5, 6, 8) Joshua Brown – vocals (5, 6, 8) Jacob Collier – vocals (5) Danielle Haim – vocals (6, 7) Additional musicians Jim-E Stack – drums (1–4, 6, 7), samples (3, 6, 7), programming (5), piano (9) Eli Teplin – piano (1, 3, 4, 6, 8), keyboards (4, 6, 8), slab (7) Rob Moose – violin, viola (1–3, 7, 8), arrangements (1, 2, 3) Alan Good Parker – guitar (1, 6) Rahm Silverglade – synthesizer (1) Asher Weisberg – granular synthesis (2), wrangling (6) Greg Leisz – guitar (2, 8) Ben Lester – guitar (2) BJ Burton – drums (2) Samuel Tsang – piano, synthesizer, programming (4) Cory Henry – guitar (4) MonoNeon – guitar (4, 6) Michael Gordon – guitar (5), piano, organ (6) Brian F. Joseph – drums (8) Chris Messina – group improvisation (9)

Technical Justin Vernon – engineering Ian Gold – engineering Rob Moose – engineering (1, 2, 7, 8) BJ Burton – engineering (2) Javier Martinez Cruces – engineering (4) Vic Steffens – engineering (5, 6, 8) Brian F. Joseph – initial production and engineering (8) Asher Weisberg – additional engineering, assistance Joe Richmond – additional engineering David Wrench – mixing (1, 6–9) Keiron Beardmore – mixing (2–4) Matt Wolach – mixing (2–4) Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (2–4) Shawn Everett – mixing (5) Heba Kadry – mastering

Visual Justin Vernon – art direction Miles Johnson – art direction Ruben Nusz – art direction

Charts

Chart performance for Sable, Fable

Chart (2025)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [27]	4
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [28]	2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [29]	3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [30]	50
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [31]	23
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [32]	2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [33]	8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [34]	47
French Albums (SNEP) [35]	78
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [36]	4
Irish Albums (OCC) [37]	23
Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon) [38]	39
Japanese International Albums (Oricon) [39]	21
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [40]	5
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [41]	10
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [42]	16
Scottish Albums (OCC) [43]	3
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [44]	39
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [45]	4
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [46]	5
UK Albums (OCC) [47]	4
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [48]	2
US Billboard 200 [49]	11
US Americana/Folk Albums (Billboard) [50]	1
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [51]	2
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums ( Billboard ) [52]	1

References

1. Hunt, El (April 10, 2025). "Bon Iver – 'Sable, Fable' review". NME . Retrieved April 10, 2025.
2. Ross, Alex Robert (April 10, 2025). "Bon Iver: Sable, Fable". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 10, 2025.
3. "Premature Evaluation: Bon Iver 'SABLE, fABLE'". Stereogum. April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
4. Sendra, Tim. "Sable, Fable – Bon Iver". AllMusic . Retrieved April 11, 2025.
5. Keates, Emma (February 11, 2025). "Bon Iver announces "the epilogue" with new album, SABLE, fABLE". The A.V. Club . Retrieved February 11, 2025.
6. Strauss, Matthew (February 11, 2025). "Bon Iver Announce New Album SABLE, fABLE". Pitchfork . Retrieved February 11, 2025.
7. Keates, Emma (April 12, 2025). "Bon Iver pens a surprisingly bright new chapter on SABLE, fABLE". The A.V. Club . Retrieved April 13, 2025.
8. Watkins, Michael (April 10, 2025). "Bon Iver - SABLE, fABLE | Reviews". Clash . Retrieved April 12, 2025.
9. Caramanica, Jon; Coscarelli, Joe (March 26, 2025). "Bon Iver Is Happy (and Sexy) Now. It Took a Lot of Work". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 16, 2025.
10. "Justin Vernon Talks 'SABLE, fABLE' On 'Fallon', Wet Leg Perform: Watch". Stereogum. April 3, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
11. Ragusa, Paolo (February 11, 2025). "Bon Iver announces new album SABLE, fABLE". Consequence . Retrieved February 11, 2025.
12. Earl, William (February 11, 2025). "Bon Iver Announces New Album 'SABLE, fABLE' With John Wilson-Directed Music Video". Variety . Retrieved February 11, 2025.
13. Parquette, Archer (February 11, 2025). "Bon Iver Announce New Album". Milwaukee Magazine . Retrieved February 11, 2025.
14. Chelosky, Danielle (February 11, 2025). "Bon Iver Announce New Album SABLE, fABLE". Stereogum . Retrieved February 11, 2025.
15. Green, Walden (March 14, 2025). "Bon Iver Share New Songs "If Only I Could Wait" and "Walk Home"". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
16. "Bon Iver Announce More Than Two Dozen 'SABLE, fABLE' Brand Collabs For Fragrance, Matcha, Flowers, Smoked Salmon, Tattoos, & More". Stereogum. April 11, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
17. Kaufman, Gil (April 11, 2025). "Bon Iver Goes All-In on 'Sable, Fable' Album Product Collabs, From Smoked Salmon to Vegan Ice Cream & Cashmere Hoodies". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
18. "Bon Iver Announce "State Fair" Album Release Party With Basketball Tournament This Saturday In LA". Stereogum. April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
19. "Bon Iver announces global listening events, fABLE sPACEs". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
20. "Sable, Fable by Bon Iver reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
21. "Sable, Fable by Bon Iver Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
22. Hall, James; Platt, Poppie (April 11, 2025). "Bon Iver, Sable, Fable, review: Their most honest album yet" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved April 12, 2025.
23. "Bon Iver - SABLE, fABLE". DIY . April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
24. Livesey, Donovan (April 8, 2025). "Bon Iver - SABLE, fABLE | Album Of The Week, Album Reviews". MusicOMH . Retrieved April 12, 2025.
25. Empire, Kitty (April 11, 2025). "Bon Iver: Sable, Fable review – Justin Vernon's most easy-going record yet". The Observer . Retrieved April 11, 2025.
26. Lu, Leah (April 7, 2025). "Bon Iver Lets a Little Light In". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
27. "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
28. "Austriancharts.at – Bon Iver – Sable, Fable" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
29. "Ultratop.be – Bon Iver – Sable, Fable" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
30. "Ultratop.be – Bon Iver – Sable, Fable" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
31. "Bon Iver Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
32. "Album Top-40 Uge 15, 2025". Hitlisten . Retrieved April 23, 2025.
33. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bon Iver – Sable, Fable" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
34. "Albumit 16/2025". Musiikkituottajat . Retrieved April 19, 2025.
35. "Top Albums: Semaine du 18 avril 2025". SNEP . Retrieved April 23, 2025.
36. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bon Iver – Sable, Fable" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
37. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
38. "Oricon Top 50 Digital Albums: April 21, 2025" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved April 16, 2025.
39. "Oricon Top 30 International Albums: 2025-04-21" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on April 16, 2025. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
40. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 18, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
41. "Album 2025 uke 16". VG-lista . Retrieved April 18, 2025.
42. "Top 200 Álbuns Semana 16 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 2. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
43. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
44. "Top 100 Albums – Week 16". El Portal de Música. Productores de Música de España . Retrieved April 27, 2025.
45. "Veckolista Album, vecka 16" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved April 17, 2025.
46. "Swisscharts.com – Bon Iver – Sable, Fable". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
47. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
48. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
49. "Bon Iver Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
50. "Bon Iver Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
51. "Bon Iver Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
52. "Bon Iver Chart History: Top Rock & Alternative Albums". Billboard . Retrieved April 22, 2025.