Mumford & Sons share new single "The Banjo Song"

Listen to the fantastic new advance track from Mumford & Sons, the melodic and wistful "The Banjo Song" released today...Robert Kinsler

MUMFORD & SONS SHARE NEW SINGLE “THE BANJO SONG”

NEW ALBUM PRIZEFIGHTER OUT FEBRUARY 20

HUGE SUMMER DATES SET FOR LONDON’S BST HYDE PARK, GRONINGEN, ROME + BERLIN

 

Credit: Conor Cunningham

January 9, 2026—Mumford & Sons share their new track, “The Banjo Song,” today, which was co-written with Aaron Dessner and Jon Bellion. Listen/share HERE.  

The song is from their forthcoming sixth album, Prizefighter, which will be released February 20 via Glassnote Records.  

“The Banjo Song” follows the introductory tracks “Rubber Band Man (with Hozier)” and the album’s title-track, as another taster to a record that vocalist Marcus Mumford has already described as the “most excited” he’s been about a Mumford & Sons album. “The Banjo Song” makes for an excellent start to what promises to be a very hectic year for the band both on and off stage.

A mere seven months on from the arrival of RUSHMERE, the band’s long anticipated #1 album in March 2025, Mumford & Sons take full advantage of a prolific period of songwriting with another full-length record in quick succession.

For a band whose unique sound has helped to both influence and inspire countless artists all around the globe, Prizefighter is Mumford & Sons’ finest example of precisely how and why they lead by example.

Co-produced and co-written with The National’s Aaron Dessner, who the band previously worked with on their third record Wilder Mind, Prizefighter captures the band at their most open and instinctive. In just ten days, they’d written more than an album’s worth of songs, and a collection that feels both deeply personal, instinctive and unguardedly communal. Marcus Mumford’s lyrics grapple with resilience and striving, singing with a mix of confidence and urgency.

The album sessions were as much about rediscovery as recording. Days spent writing in Hudson cafés and nights spent around Long Pond’s kitchen table gave rise to songs that feel unpolished in the best sense—alive with first takes and the joy of simply making music together again. Re-energized, rejuvenated and in the form of their lives, Prizefighter embraces and reflects that full-strength energy and enthusiasm with 14 songs of light, shade and everything in-between.

That openness extended to the studio door too. Mumford & Sons welcomed collaborators into the studio, calling on the likes of Hozier, Gracie Abrams, Chris Stapleton, Gigi Perez, and Dessner himself. Their presence underscored the band’s commitment to community and connection.

This summer, Mumford & Sons will headline London’s BST Hyde Park in July, with tickets on sale now. The show heralds the band’s first return to Hyde Park in a decade, with support from The War On Drugs. Huge outdoor summer shows in Groningen, Rome, and Berlin are also on sale now.

album artwork

PRIZEFIGHTER TRACK LIST

1. Here (with Chris Stapleton)
2. Rubber Band Man (with Hozier)
3. The Banjo Song
4. Run Together
5. Conversation With My Son
6. Alleycat
7. Prizefighter
8. Begin Again
9. Icarus (with Gigi Perez)
10. Stay
11. Badlands (with Gracie Abrams)
12. Shadow Of A Man
13. I’ll Tell You Everything
14. Clover

MUMFORD & SONS CONFIRMED TOUR DATES

January 8-11—Cancun, Mexico—Out of the Blue Festival

February 20-22—Tempe, AZ—Innings Festival

April 24—Melbourne, Australia—Rod Laver Arena

April 25—Melbourne, Australia—Rod Laver Arena

April 29—Sydney, Australia—Qudos Bank Arena

May 2—Auckland, New Zealand—Spark Arena
July 1—Groningen, Netherlands—Stadspark
July 2—Werchter, Belgium—Rock Werchter Festival
July 4—London, U.K.—BST Hyde Park*
July 7—Rome, Italy—Rock in Roma
July 9—Berlin, Germany—Waldbuhne
August 1—St. Charles, Iowa—Hinterland Music Festival

September 12—Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—Rock in Rio

*with special guest The War on Drugs

www.mumfordandsons.com

Album Review Roundup: The Lone Bellow, James Hunter Six, Will Sexton

Music lovers who have an ear for great Americana, roots, soul and R&B are in luck thanks to a trio of recent releases that are among the early gems of 2020.

Artist: The Lone Bellow
Title: Half Moon Light (Dualtone Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Michael Ubaldini, Larkin Poe, the Lone Bellow

Tell me more: The Lone Bellow dive deep into their rich Americana sonicscape on their new album Half Moon Light. Produced by The National's Aaron Dessner, Half Moon Light is the trio's fourth full-length studio album and first new one since 2017. The anthemic "Count On Me" and "Good Times" may well be the highlights on the glorious album, but other standouts abound. Guitarist Brian Elmquist, lead vocalist Zach Williams and multi–instrumentalist Kanene Donehey Pipkin continue to deliver their soaring three-part vocal harmonies and stellar musicianship this time out but there is a burgeoning power in the depth of the lyrics and growth that shines bright across Half Moon Light from start to finish. The sophisticated "Wonder," sumptuous "Wash It Clean," driving "Friends" and delicate "Dust Settles" and "August" are among this writer's other favorites. The Lone Bellow headlines a special show at Pappy & Harriet's in Pioneertown on March 14. Information: www.TheLoneBellow.com.

Artist: The James Hunter Six
Title: Nick of Time (Daptone Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Vintage Trouble, Nick Waterhouse, Sam Cooke
Tell me more: A talented soul singer and lead guitarist, James Hunter is expert at tapping into classic rhythm and blues stylings and making them his own. Now comes the James Hunter Six on their latest full-length LP, the 13-track stunner Nick of Time. Bolstered by a mix of uptempo rock 'n' soul cuts ("Till I Hear It From You," the raucous lead guitar showcase "Ain't Goin' Up In One of Those Things"), mid tempo soul ("Nick of Time," "Can't Help Myself") and affecting ballads ("Who's Foolin' Who," "Never," the Nat King Cole-mining "Paradise For One"), the sound here is inspired by the groundbreaking '50s and '60s soul forged by the celebrated likes of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. The arrangements are uniformly potent, with blasting horns, in-the-pocket rhythms, sublime backing vocals and Hunter's top-tier talent enhancing every cut across the fantastic Bosco Mann-produced disc. The James Hunter Six is scheduled to perform at Echo in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 16. Information: www.JamesHunterMusic.com.

Artist: Will Sexton
Title: Don't Walk The Darkness (Big Legal Mess Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Ben Harper, John Hiatt, Phosphorescent
Tell me more: Acclaimed singer-guitarist Will Sexton has returned with his first new album in more than a decade. The good news is that Don't Walk The Darkness was fully worth the wait, a warm and inviting listen all the more powerful in the wake of Sexton's recovery following a 2009 stroke he suffered that robbed him of much of his verbal and language abilities. His recovery is clear listening to the range and depth of the original songs showcased on Don't Walk The Darkness (released on March 6). The rootsy sound showcased on the 10-song LP blends sounds associated with his Austin roots and current home in Memphis. Just grab a listen to the evocative "Don't Walk The Darkness (Through The Day)," captivating Tom Petty-flavored "Temptation's Call," probing "The Whole Story" and immersive "Fell In Straight View" on an exceptional return. Information: www.BigLegalMessRecords.com.



Robert Kinsler