Most bands form to create songs - Big Red Machine, was born from one.
The origins of the project trace back to 2008, when Aaron Dessner of The National invited Justin Vernon of Bon Iver to lend his voice to an ethereal piano ballad titled "Big Red Machine" for the Dark Was the Night charity compilation. It wasn’t until 2016 when Vernon and Dessner reunited to performed together at PEOPLE, an experimental music festival in Berlin, did the Big Red Machine become their offical band name.
This marked the beginning of Big Red Machine as a fully realised band, and fuelled the duo’s debut self-titled album in 2018. Fast forward to 2021, the duo reunited for their second album How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last, fresh off working with Taylor Swift on folklore and evermore, and bringing her in for the standout track "Renegade." This unlikely collaboration propelled the band’s music into mainstream streaming success, proving that what began as an esoteric side project had found its own expansive voice.
How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? honours life's ebbs and flows, tracing the emotional journey from childhood to adulthood through Vernon's haunting vocals on a backdrop of fidgety electronics. It explores the themes of love, loss, and the fragile journey towards healing and reconciliation.