10 Things We Know About The New Mumford & Sons Album

Stop the press. After a shorter-than-anticipated hiatus, Mumford & Sons are back in business, but this time, they've kicked the banjo to one side, with an electric album named Wilder Mind. It's been three years since the band's thumping second album Babel was released, and three years on top of that since their debut, Sigh No More, set Mumford on the way to the world stage. The formula is tried and tested, and importantly it works. The banjo-laden, foot-stomping tunes burst onto the mainstream music scene, despite dividing music fans, and their style is loved by millions. Then came the hiatus. Then came band member Winston Marshall's infamous rant after being asked whether the band had killed the banjo: "I think 'killed' is an understatement. We murdered it. We let it, yeah €“ f*** the banjo. I f***ing hate the banjo." Ultimately, when Wilder Mind was announced, lead singer Marcus Mumford officially declared the death of the Mumford banjo and a move towards a new, electric sound. It's difficult not to be shocked by Marshall's admission about an instrument which has engineered Mumford & Sons' rise to the top, but an optimist would look at Mumford's new album to be a fresh canvas to explore new ideas that haven't been possible on the first two folk albums. Here's hoping. Wilder Mind is out on May 4th, and as the clock ticks down, here are ten things we already know...