Mumford & Sons Debut New Single: 'Believe'

Today marked the much anticipated debut single from Mumford and Sons new album – Wilder Mind. Now DISCLAIMER: Mumford front man himself, Marcus, said that this album would be drastically different, and by no means would be Babel part 2. Now initially, this was disappointing news. After all, Babel won the Grammy for Album of the Year and is regarded by The Only Music Blog as one of the top 10 greatest albums of all time. But….the Mumford's are already labelled as one of those bands where each song sounds like the last, so experimentation and new sounds could work for them.

So now that lead single “Believe” is finally released…..my first thought is that Marcus wasn’t lying. I listened to the debut of "Believe" today and kept expecting the banjos to drop at the end of each line. That never quite happened.

However, this song did bring with it a new sound, and new potential for Mumford and Sons. Although we won’t hear the banjo on this upcoming album, we already have plenty of it from Babel and debut album Sigh No More. The potential of these new electric songs that seem to have a deeper, indie cut, mixed with the folk rock numbers we have come to love, seems like it can bring the Mumford's to a new level. I’m already fantasizing about the possibilities at live shows.

I’m sure I wasn’t alone by immediately thinking of Coldplay as this song opened up. But it grew to something better than that. The driving pickup is passionate and the remainder of the song is very musically sound, leading all the way to the close. It reminded me more of something I would hear from Local Natives, rather than a lead single built for radio.

For fans that have been with Mumford since the beginning, this tune may come as a disappointment. I mean, it’s nowhere near as satisfying as ferocious lead single “I Will Wait” off Babel. But to be honest, big fans of debut albums typically are disappointed with follow up albums. It’s extremely rare when each album can satisfy fans as much as the last (hats off to Arcade Fire here). But I believe this single sets up the album well.

The Mumford’s are so talented musically, that it’s going to be fun to see them grow with this album. Wilder Minds comes out May 4^th.

Single Rating: 3.5 Stars