Ahead of the scheduled release of their upcoming album 22, A Million, Bon Iver has decided to share one last single from the project. "8 (circle)" was originally debuted on Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show earlier in the month, and has now received an official release via Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show as the Hottest Record in the World.
Justin Vernon's vocals on the song sound distant and forlorn; instead of emerging from the production, it stays in line with it, melding with the soft instrumentation. Like "22 (OVER S∞∞N)," "10 d E A T h b R E a s T," and "33 'GOD'" before it, "8 (circle)" sees Vernon spreading beyond the lush, sentimental aesthetic that he's known for, with 22, A Million sounding more experimental and raw.
At the beginning of this month, Justin Vernon held a press conference to discuss his new album and the intention behind it. According to Vernon, the new record is "that thing of wanting to bash things apart a little bit and break through some stuff." He wanted it to be different from his previous two albums, aiming to "[make] things that are bombastic and exciting and also new, and [mash] things together, and explosiveness and [shout] more."
22, A Million arrives on September 30. Listen to "8 (circle)" below.
