Bon Iver’s “Day One” plays it straight and winks at the same time. Title card says Justin Vernon has retired, then an open casting call rolls in: Jacob Elordi with a fake beard, St. Vincent, Cristin Milioti, Dijon, and Flock of Dimes’ Jenn Wasner all step up to be “the new Bon Iver,” with Vernon himself slipping into the queue for the final grin.
Jos Diaz Contreras frames it like a short film rather than a promo, with clean slates, to-camera reads, and edits that breathe with the song’s pulse.
The joke lands because no one oversells it. The auditions feel dry and deadpan, the beanies and beards are obvious costumes, and the cut trusts the chorus to do the heavy lift.
As a piece of music and image, it clicks. Dijon’s grain roughens the edges, Wasner’s line brightens the refrain, and Vernon’s falsetto sits between them like thread.
The concept says the quiet part out loud: Bon Iver is a feeling more than a face, continuity over celebrity, community over posture.
It also fits the Sable, Fable era, which has leaned into high-concept visuals while keeping the songs intimate and rhythmic.
