Justin Vernon’s latest recording does not arrive wrapped in the fog and density usually associated with Bon Iver. It is a short, sticky jingle for meatloaf dippers at Howard’s Bar, a Stillwater, Minnesota spot opened in 2023 by local musician Caroline Smith and her chef husband.
The song appears in a brief animated ad illustrated by Nick Stokes. In the clip, a dense meatloaf is baked, sliced, breaded, and deep-fried until the dippers reach a state that matches the tune’s own gooey insistence. Vernon wrote and recorded the chirpy number, delivering lyrics that sit closer to a menu recitation than to his typical elliptical phrasing: “Meatloaf dippers at Howard’s in Stillwater / Meatloaf dippers can be a whole meal or starter / Meatloaf dippers, oh so light and yummy / Go on and warm your tummy, with dippers.”
The collaboration is small in scale but notable for how plainly it connects Vernon to regional food culture. Howard’s Bar is a musician-run business, not a national campaign. The jingle works because it does not try to elevate the dish beyond what it is. It is a local ad with a familiar voice in the middle of it, which is likely the point.
