If Only I Could Wait / Walk Home

Bon Iver’s new double single, If Only I Could Wait and Walk Home, is a nice change of pace from some of the bigger, more layered tracks off this album, but they don’t quite hit as hard as Everything Is Peaceful Love. Both songs lean into the softer, more mellow side of Bon Iver’s sound, which is great in theory, but some weird production choices hold them back from being as good as they could be.

Starting with If Only I Could Wait, the song has a really pretty, slow-building vibe, almost like classic Bon Iver. The vocals are soft and emotional, and the whole thing feels really delicate—until that one synth kicks in. It’s this loud, pulsating thing that’s just a little offbeat, and instead of adding to the track, it throws the whole mood off. It’s not terrible, but it’s distracting enough to be frustrating.

Walk Home is the better of the two, at least at first. The melody is beautiful, and Vernon’s layering of vocals is as smooth as ever. It’s got this really nice, wistful energy that could’ve made it one of the stronger songs from the album so far. But then, out of nowhere, there’s this high-pitched voice in the refrain that just feels out of place. It’s the same issue as If Only I Could Wait—one weird production decision that kind of holds the whole thing back.

That being said, both tracks still have a lot of good moments. They definitely feel more like album cuts than standalone singles, and I think they’ll make more sense in the full context of the project. Bon Iver’s always been about creating a whole atmosphere, and while these songs don’t quite land on their own, they still fit into the overall vibe of this album’s rollout.

At the end of the day, they’re solid tracks, just not as memorable as Everything Is Peaceful Love. If those small production choices weren’t there, they’d probably be among my favorites. But for now, they’re just… good. Nothing more, nothing less.

IF ONLY I COULD WAIT / WALK HOME - BON IVER

RATING - 8.5/10

GENRE - Alt, Indie, Folk, Rock