Mumford & Sons: ‘Delta’ Album Review

Mumford & Sons have returned with their fourth album, Delta! The album was released on 16th of November 2018, via Gentleman of the Road and Island Records. Thestandard album consists of 14 tracks; the deluxe edition has three bonus tracks.

After seeing them at Sziget Festival (Budapest, Hungary) this year in August at which debuted three new songs: 42, Women and Guiding Light from their fourth new album. These tracks were exactly what people have been anticipating for; loaded with soulful vocals and intense

guitar strums.

Delta doesn’t seem to disappoint! From their previous album: ‘Wilder Mind’ (2015) it took a new turn as they ditched the banjos and acoustic guitars withan electric rock nature. However, Mumford & Sons are back with their folk sound although with a concoction of instrumentation; it encompasses all their powers together. They are back to what they are known for with ‘Delta’!

Mumford & Sons have used a diverse amount of sundry styles. The opening track, 42 signifies the bands folk roots with the soulful harmonies and the calm essence it evokes. They have taken a pathway into an electronic and hip-hop beat with, Women and Rose Sharon; an alt-R&B feel with, Picture you, and psych-rock with, Darkness Visible. All these styles are successfully built andexasperate that the band can do any style and succeed at it. Mumford & Sons, Delta expresses various reflection on numerous experiences which represents where they are at, at this specific moment in time; keyboard player, Ben Lovett illustrated Delta as “the four Ds: death, divorce, drugs and depression”.

Ultimately, the new album is good but it’s not great. It still has the essence of Mumford & Sons with their style of music, notwithstanding the new album seems too clean and polished, its in need of their rawness. Its defiantly worth a listen to with tracks like, Guiding Light: it’s just classic Mumford’s, Women: evokes the fresh electronic sound with a love song, Rose of Sharon: exposes them in a new light with a deep groove sound, and If I Say: amplifies an intense love song with its sombre music composition, which is beautifully constructed with the lyrics and music, it’s the centre piece of the album. Having Delta close the album ties the whole essence of the album together and ends on a significant track! Delta builds with suspense and then half way through hits its momentum. Overall this album will have mixed reviews nevertheless its notified that some of these songs are significant and will be key songs associated with the band.

Mumford & Sons have a 60-date world tour lined up, which began on the 16 th November in Dublin

and finishes in June next year.