Mumford and Sons released album number 5, Rushmere this week.
For a band that have begun to innovate and change their style in recent albums, I had some high hopes that with the shake up to the band’s line up they would take another new direction with this album. Sadly Rushmere feels like a dreary regurgitation of their debut, as they return stylistically to the classic folk rock that brought them fame.
However, while their first album, Sigh No More, as a whole, is monotonous, there are some stand out tracks that did rise above (Little Lion Man, The Cave). Unfortunately, Rushmere shows little of this. The opening track Malibu is dull, and this is a theme that continues throughout the record.
Second track Caroline has a little promise, it picks up the pace, but sadly it’s still mid (as the cool kids say) and is easily forgettable. This feeling happens a lot. Individual elements of songs have potential, whether it’s the vocals (such as in Caroline) the lyrics of title track Rushmere or little snippets of tunes that are arranged beautifully, but it just doesn’t come together into anything meaningful. I enjoyed the rockier vibe on Truth, probably the most well put together song on the album and I wish they’d taken Rushmere more in this direction overall. if nothing else it would have given the album some oomph. Instead, Truth just sounds completely out of place (and honestly that’s probably a compliment) sandwiched between too many low energy ballads.
I can’t work out if the band wanted to play it safe and just took it too far, but Rushmere ultimately feels like an uncomfortable step backwards. It may appeal to fans nostalgic for their folk-rock beginnings but for those hoping for a bold new chapter from Mumford & Sons sadly this wasn’t meant to be.
About Mumford and Sons
Mumford & Sons are a British folk-rock band formed in 2007. They rose to prominence in 2009 with their debut album Sigh No More. The band consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, double bass, bass guitar), and Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboards, synths, piano). They’ve released 5 studio albums to date and will soon embark on a North American tour, with UK dates to follow at the end of the year.