Big Red Machine

Most bands form to make songs; in the case of Big Red Machine, a song formed the band. The relationship between Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner dates back to 2008, when the latter invited the former to sing on an ethereal piano ballad titled “Big Red Machine” for the indie-star-studded Dark Was the Night charity compilation. While the song was credited to the two musicians, it became a proper band name in 2016, when Dessner and Vernon reunited to perform at the inaugural edition of PEOPLE, a Berlin-based experimental-music festival that doubled as the duo’s launch party. PEOPLE’s free-form ethos would fuel the creation of Big Red Machine’s 2018 self-titled debut, which cast Vernon’s instantly soulful croon—and vocal cameos from the likes of Phoebe Bridgers—against a shapeshifting backdrop of fidgety electronics. By the time they reconvened for 2021’s earthier follow-up, How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, Dessner and Vernon were fresh off working on Taylor Swift’s folklore and evermore, and invited their new pop-star pal to guest on the heart-racing folktronic lullaby “Renegade”—a track that’s allowed this esoteric side project to rack up streaming numbers on par with the duo’s more popular principal gigs.