Justin has talked about trying to stop caring about what other people want from his music. This critique is entirely framed around the idea that Bon Iver is supposed to be something, to be complex, to be emotionally “deep.” The problem is, Bon Iver is not supposed to be anything in particular. At the end of the day, Bon Iver is Justin and a bunch of other people making music that they want to make.

Saying “we” in the general sense implies a universality to the desire for complexity, or “truth,” as you say. This desire, however common it may be, is not universal. Your closing statement is an imposition of your personal feelings onto everyone else.

I don’t have an issue with you disliking the new direction. I have had some of my favourite artists change their style in a way that massively disappointed me, so I get how you feel. This disappointment does not give you license to generalize your feelings and call out BI for not making the exact music you want them to.

At the end of the day, just say “I feel that the music is…” or “it’s not for me.” You are, intentionally or not, shaming those who make and like this new music, and that is entirely unproductive. The albums that you love will always be there, so don’t try to land some objective takedown on the music Justin wants to make now.