Bon Iver is back in the UK charts with their first album in six years.
Sable, Fable (Jagjaguwar) debuted at No.4 with 9,132 sales in the opening week (Official Charts Company). It is Bon Iver’s highest-charting album since 2016’s.
The new album has seen Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon embracing various promotional opportunities, as well as intriguing producing and clothing launches for the record.
Fans got a taste of the album with last year’s Sable EP, which included the Top 75 single Speyside.
Sable, Fable is Bon Iver’s fifth album in a long-running partnership with Jagjaguwar and Secretly Group. Here, Secretly Group’s Ali Murphy (international marketing director) and Robby Morris (VP of creative marketing) open up about a campaign focused on “joy and having fun”, from a basketball tournament to a tinned seafood collaboration…
It's been several years since Bon Iver's last album, how did you approach this campaign?
Ali Murphy: “Very differently, as Justin was very present during this campaign. He came to us with a clear vision and we kept as close to that vision as possible in order to build the world of Sable, Fable. We made sure that we had touchpoints for every type of fan, whether you’ve been with Bon Iver since For Emma, Forever Ago or if the first interaction with their name was through Taylor Swift’s Evermore. There was a lightness to this campaign as well, a fun edge to it – as you can see with all the collabs, outdoor marketing and events.”
Robby Morris: “With every Bon Iver campaign, Justin gives us an abundance of themes and questions to work with. It’s never just about the music. It’s our job to honour those ideas but also to interact with them, to push and pull a little. This time around, it felt like we were able to really tunnel into the heart of both records [the EP and album], and maybe come out the other side a little dizzy, in the best way.”
There was a lightness to this campaign, a fun edge to it
Ali Murphy
The first part of the album was released as an EP in 2024, how did that set the scene and build anticipation?
AM: “Fans were so excited to have a taste of new music and to see the first glimpse of Justin – ever! – in a Bon Iver music video. It got everyone primed that there was more to come, but we all knew we needed breathing space between the EP and the full record. The songs on the EP are heavy, and needed some time between them and what came next. It has been a beautiful part of the story to tell: the duality of Sable, the ‘man in black in the cabin’ and the joyousness, the lightness and the celebratory nature of Fable.”
RM: “That dichotomy alone, and our using the knowledge that a second, brighter half was coming allowed us to do some creative teasing… in a way that the superfans would notice but not being too heavy-handed as to overexpose it.”
There are multiple collaborators including Danielle Haim and Mk.gee. How has that helped to further generate interest in the record - as well as underlining Bon Iver's status within alternative music?
RM: “These weren’t just features. Danielle Haim, Jenn Wassner, Dijon… their voices are woven into the fabric of the songs. And it’s been amazing to watch Mk.gee fans geek out over his guitar tones. Justin’s as thoughtful a producer as he is a songwriter. He has this rare ability to bring in artists who are shaping the culture right now, and make their contributions feel essential, not ornamental.”
The record has made a UK impact, what support did you have from retailers including DSPs and record shops?
AM: “The UK is showing up for this record! The release has had amazing support from all DSPs, our digital team has done an incredible job. From bringing long-time fan Lil Yachty in conversation with Justin as part of a Countdown partnership to reuniting Zane Lowe and Justin to do a longform interview, to playlist covers, outdoor in prime spots in London and multiple other international markets.
“At retail, with our release hitting the day before Record Store Day, we needed to make sure we were additive to that weekend for stores and not more work! We made sure we had an indies edition, beautiful zines and fun stickers available. Stores were incredibly supportive on socials and in stores since release, allowing us to create weird displays and get loads of visibility. Rough Trade East even had album-themed drinks at the cafe as part of our salmon partnerships initiative.”
While we spent a lot of time digging into the album’s deeper themes, part of this campaign was also about joy and having fun
Robby Morris
The outdoor listening events have become established for Bon Iver's album launches, how did you expand the ambition for it this time around? How did the events help generate buzz for the album?
RM: “With Sable, Fable, we wanted the listening experience to echo the album’s thematic arc, from solitude to connection. So we developed a web page powered by geofencing called Fable Spaces: fans would start by listening solo on their own devices in ‘magical’, geo-fenced outdoor spaces that Justin, we and fans chose. The idea was to encourage individual reflection, but also guide people into shared spaces, creating moments of quiet communion. To make it more accessible globally, we opened it up so fans could listen from any park near them. We also invited them to share their Fable Space, which was a photo of themselves or their surroundings while listening. It was intentional but open, and the response on Reddit and in other fan communities was incredible.”
And what was the thinking behind the basketball tournament, what was the reaction?
RM: “While we spent a lot of time digging into the album’s deeper themes, part of this campaign was also about joy and having fun. Justin was more open than ever to putting himself out there in doing press, podcasts, on-camera interviews. So we wanted to honour that spirit and throw an event that felt just as open and playful. A basketball tournament might seem random on paper, but fans know Justin’s a huge basketball guy. For the more casual fans, it might have felt absurd but that’s why it worked. It was a little random and thus way more memorable than a standard release event. It gave people another way into the world of the album, and let Justin actually enjoy himself in the process.”
The merchandise is also impressive – from Fishwife tinned seafood to a Todd Snyder clothing collaboration – as well as UK collaborations. How is that further generating interest in this campaign?
RM: “This was another area where we got to have a bit of fun. The album artwork has deep thematic meaning, but it also just looks great and has a striking and immediate look. Early on, an in-joke emerged: ‘It’s not pink, it’s salmon.’ That kind of took on a life of its own. A salmon (the fish) showed up in some of the press photos, so we figured, why not run with it? The Fishwife tinned seafood collab came first, and from there, it spiraled in the best way.
“We asked our UK and international label offices to identify local businesses who might want to join in, and suddenly we had over 30 collaborations: everything from salmon-coloured lattes, pink wine tastings, flower arrangements, bagels and scented candles (don’t worry, they don’t smell like fish). Like the listening events, we wanted these moments to feel accessible and a little playful. So while we have a few higher-end pieces like the Todd Snyder collab, we also leaned into things that felt easy to enjoy, even if you didn’t know the full story.”
Are there tour plans?
AM: “Not right now, we’re just staying in the moment, watching salmon take over the world and letting these songs land.”
Bon Iver has partnered with Secretly going back for almost two decades, how would you characterise that relationship?
AM: “It’s a true partnership and collaborative effort. We feel blessed to work with Justin and his wider team, this album is a celebration of all that we’ve grown to be together.”
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