Mumford & Sons Fashioned A Mighty Big Sound From The Get-Go

For a band that started out relying mostly on acoustic instruments and barely any drums, Mumford & Sons fashioned a mighty big sound from the get-go. They could be regarded as folk-rockers, but the band—formed in West London in 2007—harness the kind of passion, power, and inspirational drive usually associated with the likes of U2.

Main man Marcus Mumford and his cohorts Winston Marshall, Ted Dwane, and Ben Lovett (all of whom play multiple instruments) began building their following from the ground up in and around London before releasing a string of DIY EPs and finally earning enough attention for Island Records to release their debut album, Sigh No More, in 2009.

In an electronic-saturated pop era, that record’s blend of back-porch picking and arena-ready presence leaned un-self-consciously in the opposite direction, invoking their native folk traditions as well as those of the U.S. But it was 2012 follow-up Babel that really cemented Mumford & Sons’ star status. Its first single, the banjo-charged, passionately swelling “I Will Wait,” became an intercontinental smash, and the folk-rock floodgates opened.

The band’s success cleared a path for kindred unplugged spirits like The Lumineers, but by the time Mumford & Sons released their third LP, 2015’s Wider Mind, they’d already evolved into another phase, tamping down the folk and amping up the rock, a process they further refined over the next three years, achieving an even more widescreen sound on Delta.

People have told Mumford & Sons that it seems the band is in better form than ever. “We were with one of our buddies,” Marcus Mumford tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “He came to one of our shows and said to us that it felt the best it’s ever felt.” And that’s what it’s like inside the band, too. “I feel like we’re at that place,” says Mumford. “And it’s really fun.”

Much soul-searching was done in the years preceding 2025 album RUSHMERE—their first in seven years—a period in which banjo player Winston Marshall departed under controversial circumstances. But the band resolved to put the grind of their mid-career years behind them and enjoy it like they were a new band again, and RUSHMERE lit a flame within them. Following its creation, the band felt like they had more, much more, creative energy in the tank. “It was like we’d renewed our vows,” explains Mumford. “Then we were like, ‘Now let’s go and write the best songs we’ve ever written.’” Mumford & Sons’ sixth album Prizefighter arrived less than a year after RUSHMERE and was made in the period immediately following its sessions. “That’s why we called it Prizefighter,” says Mumford. “Let’s get back to the ambition and the hard work and unapologetic nature of the band that we started with.”

There’s no way they could have pulled it off without being in peak condition. Prizefighter came together over 10 prolific and joyous days at co-producer Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond Studio in upstate New York. (Mumford describes Dessner as the “coolest indie kid in the world” and a “creative genius.”) These songs are imbued with the euphoria of seizing the moment, from the swaying Americana-style grooves of opener “Here” to the yearning hooks of “The Banjo Song” and the stripped-down contemplative ballad “I’ll Tell You Everything.” This is a record reveling in first-take flaws, more about capturing the warmth in the room than slick perfection.

There’s a feeling of camaraderie that you imagine made their guests feel very welcome; Prizefighter features contributions from Chris Stapleton, Hozier, Gigi Perez, and Gracie Abrams. The collaborative approach all fed into the band’s determination not to rest on their laurels. “It’s a kind of reset,” Mumford says. “Let’s go again and do a lot that we haven’t yet had the opportunity to do so far. I don’t think we’ve seen it all by any stretch, and getting to work with some of these artists who are a bit younger or doing something slightly different is like a sharpening of our creative tools. I hope we continue to welcome that in the studio.”