If Mumford & Sons’ upcoming studio album, Prizefighter, is anything like the records that precede it, you can expect it to be a fan favourite right from the beginning.
Prizefighter, which is set to be released on Feb. 13, will be Mumford & Sons’ sixth studio album. The work was announced just seven months after RUSHMERE — the band’s fifth project — hit streaming services. Notably, Prizefighter was recorded at the iconic Long Pond Studio in New York with producer Aaron Dessner.
Known widely for his production work on Taylor Swift’s folk-adjacent sister-records, Folklore and Evermore, Dessner has also worked with other big-name artists like Gracie Abrams and Laufey. Most recently, he produced Florence + The Machine’s hit record Everybody Scream. Dessner also took the helm on Mumford & Sons’ third studio project, Wilder Mind, in 2015. If the band aims for a similar sound on Prizefighter, it is unlikely that the album will be anything less than pure art.
While the record’s first single, “Rubber Band Man,” featured folk genius Hozier, artists like Gracie Abrams (on “Badlands”), Gigi Perez (on “Icarus”) and Chris Stapleton (on “Here”) will also make an appearance on the album.
Fans of the band are showcasing their excitement for the new record, including the release of “Rubber Band Man,” all over social media. In the first week alone, the single received 1.6 million streams, 1,000 downloads and 11 million listens on Spotify. This is likely partially due to the band’s collaboration with Hozier, which was a shock, but very well received. On top of this, fans who have seen the band on tour seem to recognize a few of the tracks on the record from live shows and are excited to see previously unreleased music hit streaming services. Altogether, many people online feel that if the album sounds anything like “Rubber Band Man” and the other unreleased tracks they have heard, it will be a record to look forward to.
“We feel like we’re hitting our prime as a creative force,” Marcus Mumford, the band’s lead singer, said following the announcement of Prizefighter. “We’re putting everything we have into this now and we’re using everything about our experience so far to embrace who we are. We’re comfortable in our skins these days.”
Mumford went on to say that “Prizefighter is us going for it — serious and playful, sometimes bruised and always hopeful. We’re nowhere near done yet. I hope and believe we’re in the beginning of something we don’t want to let up on.” He concluded by saying that he is “more excited to be in this band” than ever before.
The full track list to Mumford & Sons’ new album, Prizefighter:
1. Here (with Chris Stapleton).
2. Rubber Band Man (with Hozier).
3. The Banjo Song.
4. Run Together.
5. Conversations 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.