Mumford & Sons Electrify with ‘Wilder Mind’

Stephanie Hernandez

Mumford & Sons quickly became everyone’s favorite folk revival band with the release of their 2009 debut album, “Sigh No More.” Marcus Mumford’s pension for penning complicated narratives built up by massive hooks instantly drew listeners in and made them beg for more banjo-tinged tunes. The record went Triple Platinum in the United States and was followed up by 2012’s “Babel,” that was just as successful as their first release, even in a depressed record selling year. The English quartet was on the fast track to becoming one of the most popular bands in the world. The band’s latest venture, “Wilder Mind” finds the boys letting go of the American Folk sound that made them so beloved across the globe in favor of a grittier more electric sonic direction. Mumford & Sons are back in town; they’ve traded their suspenders for some tight black jeans and are ready to inject the folks with some of the city’s electricity.

The process for “Wilder Mind” took Mumford & Sons to a new producer, forgoing Markus Dravs who had previously worked on “Babel” and “Sigh No More,” instead going with famed English mastermind James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine). Possibly the group’s most collaborative writing effort to date, the entirety of the record was penned by the entire quartet instead of being left entirely to rest on Marcus Mumford’s shoulders. Splitting their time between New York and London, working with The National’s Aaron Dessner on various demos. The sum of all this change is a band that’s never sounded more confident or comfortable in their skin. The result was a changing of the guard of sorts, leaving days of old behind in favor of a more contemporary outlook.

The record has everything from the stunningly simple stripped down “Cold Arms” to the lyrically dense piece “Tompkins Square Park.” Their third record has shown enormous growth, the lines Mumford Is singing are matured and anchored with instrumental complexity. The record’s first single, “Believe” shares the same melodicism of early Coldplay with the delivery of a confident Ed Sheeran. The next eleven tracks are laced with the brooding emotion usually associated with The National, a logical effect of working alongside the group’s multi-instrumentalist Aaron Dessner. Fans of the Mumford & Sons of the past will find the track “Ditmas” to be an ode to the familiar. “Wilder Mind” is full of boisterous break-up anthems, but “The Wolf” may be their best work yet. Its chorus uplifts the records melancholy mood, and pushes through the speakers with feverish energy. Mumford’s much loved voice conveys ache and disappointment without the cheesiness of records past; instead of folk strumming, we’ve gotten catchy riffs and easily accessible alternative rock.

Mumford & Sons have seemed to have lost the gimmick behind their act, and are finally becoming the rock band they have always been, but were perhaps hiding from. The quartet have taken listeners from folk revival, to alternative, modern stadium worthy rock. Keeping their lyrical ambition, the varied romantic turmoil presented in the tracks lends a refreshing take on the classic Mumford & Sons formula. Though the 12-track record may come as a shock to fans, we believe it is a step in the right direction and we hope they follow suit.

“Wilder Mind” will be available on iTunes May 4.