Bon Iver's recent music has been intricately crafted enough that it's bound to roll out sparingly: The gaps between all four of the band's albums run anywhere from three to five years. Given that i,i came out in 2019 — and that Bon Iver just last month released a 10th-anniversary reissue of its Blood Bank EP, complete with bonus live tracks — it's surprising to be greeted with a brand new song, especially given, you know … everything.

But our current flood of bad news and crises actually inspired "PDLIF," the title of which is an acronym for "Please Don't Live in Fear." Built around a sample of Alabaster dePlume's languid 2012 instrumental "Visit Croatia" (and, by the way, dePlume's gorgeous music is well worth plunging into a Bandcamp rabbit hole), the new song features socially distanced contributions from Kacy Hill (vocals), Jim-E Stack (drum programming) and others. The words, highlighted by the useful mantra "There will be a better day," come from Vernon, dePlume and Bon Iver member Mike Lewis.

Sonically, "PDLIF" effectively mixes several different Bon Iver aesthetics, processing dePlume's sampled tenor sax in a way that recalls 2011's "Beth/Rest" while manipulating the vocal tracks in ways that conjure memories of 22, A Million. But the song's mission couldn't be clearer: With 100% of proceeds going to the humanitarian-aid organization Direct Relief, "PDLIF" is meant to remind us of the connections and common causes that hold us together.

"PDLIF" is out now via Jagjaguwar.

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External Links

Bon Iver - official site

Direct Relief - official site