"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".