Yi and iMi

"Yi" and "iMi" are songs by American indie folk band Bon Iver from their fourth studio album, I, I (2019).

Credited composers and musicians include James Blake, Velvet Negroni, Camilla Staveley-Taylor, Aaron Dessner, CJ Camerieri, and Wheezy, amongst others.

Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon and his close friend Trever Hagen were experimenting with turning a radio on-and-off while sliding cardboard over it at the time, resembling a hip hop chop.

Vernon immediately told producer Brad Cook that he wanted this fragmented recording to be the basis of the first track on their then-upcoming album, which later became "iMi".

In 2017, Vernon previewed "iMi" to American record producer Wheezy, where he offered to provide drum programming for the track.

Andrew Sarlo, who was a long-time fan of Bon Iver, provided additional production for the track while he was at the Sonic Ranch.

[1] The basis of "Yi" and "iMi" came from a snippet of Vernon and Hagen turning a radio playing the song "Clarity" by Zedd featuring Foxes on-and-off, all while sliding cardboard over it.

[1] Spencer Kornhaber, writing for The Atlantic, described "Yi" as an intro into "iMi" and stated that car wash-like noises "keep a lazy rhythm".

[3] On July 11, 2019, Bon Iver announced their fourth studio album I, I, and revealed a track list that included both "Yi" and "iMi".

Recording console in Sonic Ranch, Texas
Justin Vernon began recording the song in 2014, yet didn't finish writing its lyrics until 2019, at the Sonic Ranch in Texas.