If you're a Bon Iver fan, you may have been wondering what the story was with an album; it's been four years since their self-titled second album, but it's not looking good for a third.
Although Vernon said in May that the band were starting a 'new life cycle' this summer, it appears that that doesn't include plans for a new album, nor any more touring. Instead, he told Grantland, the band is focusing solely on their upcoming gig at the Eaux Claires festival in his native Wisconsin, which he co-curates.
"I definitely care about the Bon Iver thing a lot, but it’s kind of my thing and there’s only so much time you can spend with yourself before you just become an asshole. So you gotta push it," he said. "As far as putting a record together, I don’t really know what’s happening. Our show is our main focus. We don’t have anything booked after this. We don’t have any plans. We’re not being secretive — we just don’t have any plans. It’s just about, Play the show and put all of our energy into one show — for once in my life, let’s just play one fucking show and care just about this one show for a goddamn change."
He also said that he regrets appearing in an ad campaign for Bushmills whiskey in 2011, saying that it felt "really sickening after a while".
"To be clear: They gave us a bunch of money and we were able to finish [my recording studio] without borrowing," he said. "It was great for us, and everybody that worked at the company was great, and I love Bushmills and wanted to do the deal because my dad loved Bushmills — we bond over Irish whiskey. But the problem is that it isn’t just Bushmills. It’s run by a corporation, and you kind of forget that they’re not interested in you or really what you’re doing. They’re interested in your popularity and your reach, and it felt really sickening after a while. Not badmouthing Bushmills the company, but I regret it. I regret it because it wasn’t us and they put my face on a fucking billboard, even though it was a cool billboard and I was with my brother and my sound engineer and we’re buds and we got drunk while we had the photo shoot. I just missed it. I missed the mark on that one and I let it all kind of get to me. It just doesn’t feel right after the fact, you know?"
At the time, Vernon said of working with the Northern Irish whiskey brand on their 'Since Way Back' campaign:
"I owe everything to the creativity of my friends and neighbors who have all influenced and supported me along the way. Bushmills approached Bon Iver about collaborating with them on 'Since Way Back,' and I didn't hesitate when I knew all of us - Nate, Kyle and Brian - could be involved. The way the campaign was presented to us, as a program that rewards groups of friends who have built success around what they love, made it feel right and appropriate for us to participate. The founders of Bushmills developed a recipe that lasts. We hope to do the same with our music."
You can read the whole interview via Grantland here.