Bon Iver has launched a new website and is asking fans to submit covers of his songs.
Following the release of his EP ‘SABLE’ last month, Bon Iver, aka Justin Vernon, is seemingly encouraging fans to re-work his music.
The new website, named Counterpart, was launched yesterday (November 1) with a Sam Amidon cover of ‘Things Behind Things Behind Things’, a track from ‘SABLE’. The home page shows a series of clips of various artists performing other Bon Iver songs, with most not identified.
Elsewhere, there is a submission link for video, audio, or photos, which artists are encouraged to upload in response to prompts, which will be updated regularly.
“Counterpart is a site documenting creative expression with and as Bon Iver,” the About page reads. “Please share your photo, audio, or video in response to our prompts. New prompts and your submissions will appear at random.”
Currently, prompts including: “Who else could embody the role of Bon Iver?”, “Could the essence of a song lie outside the voice that first sang it?”, “If a song is a vessel, who else might fill it?” and “Do you have a friend that resembles Justin Vernon?” flash on the screen.
This follows comments from Vernon in his recent New Yorker profile, where he asked: “Why do we like a song? Is it because of who’s singing it to us? Or is it the song? I just think it’s the song. For me, it is. For me, it’s about the song and what the music does.”
NME gave ‘SABLE’ a four-star review, noting: “But, as the young Vernon who moved back to Wisconsin in 2006 will remember, grappling with glandular fever and the end of a relationship, Bon Iver’s very foundations exist within a climate of change and uncertainty.
“‘SABLE’ can serve as a reminder of the light at the end of the tunnel, and a reason to push through adversity – to move forward onto a new chapter.”
Last month, Vernon appeared on Charli XCX‘s ‘Brat’ remix album ‘Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat’, re-working the track ‘I think about it all the time’.
In other news, earlier in the year Bon Iver performed a brief set in support of Kamala Harris’ presidential election rally in Wisconsin.