WHERE'S THAT HARRIS-WALZ HAT? Justin Vernon is working on something new for Bon Iver, judging by some vague social media posts. (Photo by Erinn Springer via Facebook)

Bon Iver fans and music journalists have been busy speculating what’s next for the the Eau Claire-based indie band since they dropped some cryptic clues on social media Monday.

On Instagram, Facebook, and even X (the app formerly known as Twitter), Bon Iver’s profile photo was changed to a new, black-and-white photo (above) of frontman Justin Vernon – all wild hair and tattoos – by Erinn Springer. It’s accompanied by a 14-second teaser video showing Vernon (or at least the bottom half of his face peeking out from under a cowboy hat) and a clapboard, followed by the text BONIVER.COM and JAGJAGUWAR, Bon Iver’s record label.

There’s a placeholder link – Bon-Iver.lnk.to/New – allowing users to pre-save whatever is coming on Spotify, Apple Music, and other platforms.

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Bon Iver and its management offered nothing beyond the social posts, leading to plenty of speculation from music writers and fans alike. As Hypebeast reported, “Vernon has also revamped the entire Bon Iver website, leading fans to believe it’s a longer-form project rather than just a one-off song.”

“Whatever form it may take, the new release will mark the first Bon Iver release since 2022, when he released the 10-year-anniversary edition of Bon Iver,” Hypebeast added. “It also signals the first new Bon Iver music since ‘AUATC’ and ‘PDLIF’ in 2020.”

“Is Bon Iver teasing new music?” asked British music mag NME. Meanwhile, Spin went ahead and declared that Bon Iver “is teasing its first new album in five years,” adding that “Vernon is known to have recorded a wealth of material since the last Bon Iver full-length, 2019’s I, I.”

Bon Iver last performed publicly at a rally for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in Eau Claire back in August.

For what it’s worth, in a profile of Charlie XCX last month, New York magazine reported that the British singer/songwriter has been in the studio with Bon Iver and Danielle Haim.

As one commenter on the Instagram post declared, “Brat summer is over, Bon Iver fall HERE WE COME.”