Bon Iver – “Haven, Mass”

D.L. Anderson

Bon Iver – “Haven, Mass”

D.L. Anderson

Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and the National’s Aaron Dessner are organizing the second annual Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin this summer. The lineup hasn’t been officially announced yet, but over the weekend, they sent a cassette featuring b-sides and demos from artists on the bill to fans who bought early bird tickets to the fest. One of those b-sides happens to be a previously unreleased Bon Iver track, and one of those fans has shared it with the rest of the world. So the first new Bon Iver song we’ve gotten in years isn’t exactly new — according to Justin Vernon, “Haven, Mass” is “very old,” dating all the way back to 2009 or 2010, before the release of their self-titled album in 2011. It gradually unfurls from a simple piano figure into lush, carefully orchestrated grandeur, and honestly, it’s just good to hear that that voice again. Listen below.

UPDATE: The full tape has made its way to SoundCloud. Vernon and James Blake’s latest song as Fall Creek Boys Choir can be heard at the 1:15:13 mark.

Bon Iver debuted two new songs at last year’s Eaux Claires festival and announced a brief tour in Asia a few months later, so it’s possible there is some new material on the horizon.

UPDATE 2: Here are the lyrics…

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