Mumford & Sons have returned with their 3rd studio album to follow their 2012 album ‘Babel’, though ‘Wilder Mind’ couldn’t be more different due to the bands recent change in sound that sparked attention everywhere. Some fans jumped to their defence and others panicked about losing their favourite band as the quartet received criticism for ditching the banjos and their folk look for electric guitars and leather jackets.
So, was the risky change of direction a good idea? The singles ‘Believe’ and ‘The Wolf’ suggest so; though ‘The Wolf’ has the old Mumford & Sons sound to it, on its release ‘Believe’ appeared to be more of an introduction to their new rock sound, starting off slowly before singer Marcus Mumford’s voice is accompanied by electrifying guitar.
The album kicks off with ‘Tompkins Square Park’, perfectly setting the tone of the album as you’re instantly hit with the bands new electric guitar driven sound. I was initially worried that the band would have overdone the electric guitar in some places, maybe through fear of a lack of progression, or a possible justification of their change in sound. Though it’s often a perfect addition, ‘Cold Arms’ for example features Mumford’s vocals being complimented by heavy guitar. The exhilarating ‘Snake Eyes’ features the use of synthetics running through it, and proves to us what a difference a full drum kit makes, as oppose to the solitary bass drum operated by a foot pedal that we’re used to!
Fans needn’t have worried at all about the band losing their distinctive sound, as many of the tracks are still laced with it, and even those that aren’t show progression rather than abandonment. ‘Wilder Mind’ is a good album overall and though it falls a bit flat in what I deem to be filler tracks such as ‘Hot Gates’ and ‘Monster’, it’s lyrically excellent, and makes up for it elsewhere; ‘Broad-Shouldered Beasts’ and ‘Cold Arms’ for example are both strong stand out tracks that have you singing along in the same way as some of the tracks on their 2009 debut album ‘Sigh No More’.
The album has left me intrigued about not only the bands headline slot at Reading & Leeds Festival in August but also future albums, as the band clearly have big plans in the pipeline! If this is their first step of progression then we have a lot to look forward to!
