SABLE, fABLE

Pitchfork 8.1/10 On his fifth album, Justin Vernon moves out of the shadows and into an unabashedly joyful mindset and soundscape. His music remains as compelling as ever.

A.V. Club A- If this truly is the last we hear of Bon Iver, Vernon is closing the book on a well-earned happy ending—one fans will likely want to read until they know the whole story by heart.

The Needle Drop 8/10 One of Justin Vernon's most beautiful projects ever.

NME 4/5 Fans feared this could be Justin Vernon's big farewell, but instead his embrace of sunnier climes feels like a new chapter.

The Line of Best Fit 7/10 While geared towards granting a pleasant listen throughout, fABLE can suffer from shallow entries and uncharacteristically dated production, thus reducing its replay value.

Rolling Stone 4/5 Justin Vernon's first album in six years, SABLE, fABLE, finds the melancholic indie stalwart at his most hopeful and open.

Dork 3/5 This isn’t really the album to burnish that kind of existential, mysterious dreamer factor that still gives Bon Iver such an allure; it’s simply too, well, nice for that. But in a world of uncertainty and chaos in 2025, there is absolutely nothing wrong with just being nice.

DIY 5/5 Soulful, almost spiritual in its delivery.

The Independent 4/5 Justin Vernon’s version of ‘radiant pop music’ is to brighten his earthy, acoustic landscapes with synths and drum pads.

All Music 2.5/5 Too much of this record sounds like it could have been made by almost anyone and that's not good, and neither in the end is SABLE, fABLE.

The Skinny 4/5 The latest album from the shapeshifting Bon Iver revels in its sense of joy and collaboration.

Under The Radar 7.5/10 Even for those who may not be in the mood for all this peace and love, it’s hard not to read this album as a personal triumph. Vernon’s writing is looser, less cryptic, and often more effective for it.

Clash 9/10 Justin Vernon re-affirms the foundations of his artistry.

Mojo 4/5 Picking up the thread of his more recent records, with less obfuscation of his singing voice but all of the contorted vocal snippets that have come to characterise his sound, Vernon continues to deal in emotionally heavy music operating on the cutting edge of tech.

The Observer 4/5 This companion album to last year’s Sable EP gives those sorrowful songs a soulful lift, with Vernon’s beautiful falsetto vocals to the fore.

Pop Matters 8/10 Bon Iver’s fifth studio LP SABLE, fABLE shifts from the stark beauty of the original EP to include uplifting sounds that are as enjoyable as they are personal.

Spectrum Culture 83% With SABLE, fABLE, Bon Iver delivers an album that feels less like a statement and more like a reconciliation. It doesn’t chase trends but finds meaning in the middle distance between cabin and studio, between myth and memory.

Beats Per Minute 87% SABLE, fABLE may not be the boundary-pushing album many have come to expect with each new Bon Iver release, but it feels like the one Vernon needed to make for himself – a kind of self-prescribed therapy. After nearly 18 years of crafting music steeped in longing and anguish, hearing him reach such a hopeful resolution is heartening.

The Telegraph 4/5 Despite the album’s occasionally jolting stylistic shift from darkness to light, there’s something reassuringly well-crafted about Sable, Fable. In a world of fluff and mayhem, it feels solid, needed even.

The Irish Times 4/5 Justin Vernon is incapable of making a ‘happy’ record. The upbeat moments here are inevitably followed by deep longueurs. But the abiding feeling is one of peace.

Uncut 9/10 After an absence of six years, Sable, Fable is not, in either mood or music, another For Emma.... Rather, it is an album of great texture and variety, one that directly addresses the weight of that sad-troubadour reputation.

Hot Press 9.5/10 Stunning effort from indie-folk kingpin.