22, A Million is the third studio album by American indie folk band Bon Iver, released on September 30, 2016. It was recorded in Justin Vernon's April Base studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and marked a shift in the band's sound, incorporating elements of electronic music and hip-hop production, and making extensive use of samples, synths, brass instruments, and effects. Vernon has stated that many of the sounds on the record were created and manipulated using a Teenage Engineering OP-1 synthesizer, along with software designed specially for the band by Chris Messina dubbed the "Messina". On August 28, 2016, all but one of the ten tracks were made available after an error occurred on Apple Music in Denmark. The single that was meant to be available, "33 "God"", was the only song unavailable, until the day after, when the album had officially leaked in full following the single's international release, barely over a month before its official release date of September 30. Even after it was taken down in Denmark, low quality mp3's and zip files began circulating on the internet. First premiered at Vernon's Eaux Claires Music Festival, the album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its original sound and colorful lyricism. Several publications, including Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, listed 22, A Million as one of the best albums of 2016. It also received nominations for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Recording Package at the 2017 Grammy Awards. In 2019, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone listed it in their list of best albums of the decade, at number 91 and 47, respectively.
Critical reception
22, A Million has received acclaim from critics, garnering a score of 87 out of 100 on Metacritic, signifying "Universal acclaim" based on 41 critic reviews. Pretty Much Amazing praised the album in their review, giving it an A, and saying, "Not since Kid A has an album so superb pushed away and pulled closer its audience, simultaneously and with such aplomb." In their review Rolling Stone said, "Vernon remains an oblique lyricist, but the knottiness can be compelling." They gave it four stars out of five. The Line of Best Fit awarded the record full marks, saying that "22, A Million captures personal crisis and resolution better than any album this century."
Accolades
Commercial performance
22, A Million debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 71,000 units, of which 58,000 were traditional album sales. It was the highest-selling album of the week.
"10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄" contains a sample of "Wild Heart", as written and performed by Stevie Nicks
"33 "GOD"" contains samples of "Dsharpg", as written and performed by Sharon Van Etten, "Morning", as written by Willis S. Graham and performed by Jim Ed Brown, "Iron Sky", as written by Paolo Nutini and Dani Castelar and performed by Paolo Nutini, and "All Rendered Truth", as written and performed by Lonnie Holley.
"666 ʇ" contains a sample of "Standing in the Need of Prayer", as written by Dave Kingsby and performed by The Supreme Jubilees.
