Justin Vernon of @Bon Iver tells Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli about how his forthcoming album, “Sable, Fable,” helped him overcome a decade of anxiety and represents a new, “sexy” era for the band #music #pop #rock #boniver #fyp

There was a good 10 years where it felt like somebody had a boot on my chest from before I woke up until after I fell asleep. The rise was so big, it was kind of shocking. When I started to make songs, I did it for the inherent reward of making songs, but so I'm a little bit uncomfortable up here. You know, just a lot of attention. I was overworked and kind of was overrun by anxiety and stuff. After the last show we played, I sort of just kind of let everyone know, like, hey, I just don't know what else we can accomplish. I've got very tired and I've been very tired for a long time. This record really felt, it's like, in a lot of ways, the most personal record I've made in the sense that it really was for me. Like I needed this record. Sable's this dark black color. It was almost like a cartoon of sad Bon Iver music. I like the songs a lot. And they were kind of like these last moments of like the last gasping breath of my former self that really did feel bad for himself. And that's sort of what the Sable thing's about. It's like stay in the darkness, young man. And that's no good way to live. And that's what Sable is. It's like windows down, sunshine, like everything is peaceful love. I love you. I'm finally just like in this place where I'm like, I'm okay. Boohoo, I thought I'd have kids and a wife and like that kind of love in my life. What I've discovered is the most important is just to be where I'm at and to feel okay. And it's probably been six months since I've had a boot, even for 30 seconds. I have my health. I have joy. I have love in my life everywhere I look. And I finally have like gratitude and time for it. So I'm definitely getting there.