Mumford & Sons and Hozier have produced a beautiful new track, treating their fans to a folk collaboration for the ages.
“Rubber Band Man” was a much-anticipated release for many lovers of Mumford & Sons and Hozier. Finally released on Oct. 24, it isn’t the first time that the two parties have teamed up — with Hozier joining the band on stage to cover the Beatles’ “A Little Help From My Friends” at the Longitude Festival in 2017 before going on to collaborate on “Awake My Soul” at Austin City Limits in 2023 — this is the first time that they have recorded together.
When asked about the track, Marcus Mumford shared a rather bizarre origin story.
“I was in Paris, and Brandi Carlile texted me,” Mumford said. “She’d had a dream about me and had these lyrics. She’d, like, written a poem. I think, kind of in her sleep. And it included some of the verse lyrics for ‘Rubber Band Man.’”
While neither Mumford nor Hozier have clearly outlined the meaning behind the track, many fans point to the psychological concept of the ‘rubber band theory’ to explain what the song is about.
Coined by relationship counsellor John Gray in his 1992 book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, the rubber band theory suggests that “men experience intimacy like a rubber band: they get close, then instinctively pull away before snapping back with a revived sense of connection.” Furthermore, his theory posits that this behaviour isn’t a choice or a calculated reaction to something that their partner has done, only that it is a natural cycle of male behaviour.
When listening to the lyrics of this track, it’s not hard to see the connection.
Written from the perspective of a female partner, “Rubber Band Man” examines the tumultuous relationship between herself and the supposed rubber band man. “You’re a world away / But you’re still the same / I know you by your heart / And I will call you by your name,” Mumford sings, “It’s a long way / From the crack to the break / You know that I remember everything.”
One particular lyric, “When I said, ‘Forever’ / You said, ‘Get back in the car’ / Nothing lasts forever, babe / You know it breaks my heart,” clearly outlines a man pulling away when long-term intimacy is proposed. This falls in line with Gray’s theory, suggesting that this might be a part of the basis for “Rubber Band Man.”
A beautiful track, chock full of a whimsical sound characteristic of the folk-esque sound that Mumford & Sons toted in their early days, there is no doubt that this song is a gift to fans of both parties.