RUSHMERE is the fifth studio album by British folk rock band Mumford & Sons and it’s also their first album in nearly seven years, marking the longest gap between studio albums for the band.
Their popularity spiked in 2009 with songs ‘Little Lion Man’ and ‘The Cave’, and even more in 2012 with ‘Babel’ and ‘I Will Wait’. With over 12 million monthly listeners on Spotify, the British band has received a BRIT award for British Album and 6 Grammy nominations.
In my opinion, RUSHMERE is the classic example of what a Mumford & Sons album should sound like. Despite the 2021 exit of banjo player Winston Marshall (who made a ridiculous comment praising a book by ‘Andy Ngo’ criticising the Political group calling out White Supremacists in the US), Mumford & Sons have reverted to a trio for their fifth album, and, fortunately for us, this hasn’t affected their sound.
Like most albums, it features a few amazing hits as well as some more… average songs. But the first 3 songs on this album blew my socks off. ‘Malibu’ (my favourite song on this album) is a slow ballad, despite some lyrics reminding me of Radiohead’s song ‘All I Need’, this song is touching. ‘Caroline’, the second song on the album, is much more upbeat and energetic and I was surprised it wasn’t a single. ‘Rushmere’ the title track, and obviously the lead single, explores themes of nostalgia, and self-discovery. The rest of the album falls off a little bit, but still holds the core sound of the band.
Mumford & Sons announced their tour before the album’s release, however, tickets were very expensive. For example, tickets at the Leeds Show ranged from £56 – £271 – but that seems to be the case for most tours recently as prices skyrocket.
If you have 34 minutes to listen to the new album, I would definitely recommend it – especially if you haven’t heard of the band before.
Lyric of the album: ‘Break this glass and make a scene again, I know that’s what you want so you can write again’ (Caroline, Mumford and sons)
Released: 28 March 2025
Vinyl Price: £30.99 (HMV)
CD price: £11.99 (HMV)