Choosing vulnerability over cynicism's a knockout move

Mumford & Sons revive the communal spirit of their early years by inviting the likes of Chris Stapleton, Gigi Perez and Hozier to collaborate on 'Prizefighter'

- HELEN BROWN

“Hey! Did you call? Did you fall? Do you need someone?” an impassioned Marcus Mumford asks on his band's irresistible new single “Banjo Song”.

Earthy and earnest as ever, his urgent questions come bolstered by the raw strum of the instrument for which the band were once both celebrated and mocked in equal measure. After a couple of rockier albums (2015's Delta and 2018's Wilder Mind), the band returned to a rootsier sound on 2025's Rushmere. Now, just nine months later, their sixth album, Prizefighter, sees them doubling down on their original USP with glorious gusto. What's more, they've brought a whole crew of A-list guest stars along for the ride, with the likes of Gracie Abrams, Hozier, Chris Stapleton and Gigi Perez swelling the singalong to a stadium-sized lock-in.