Mumford & Sons are back with their fifth LP, Rushmere, which takes the UK folk band back to their south-west London roots. The album transports listeners to Wimbledon’s Rushmere Pond, where Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane first dreamed up the idea of forming a band.

Fittingly, Rushmere incorporates familiar Mumford & Sons motifs: folksy mandolin and banjo flourishes, warm strumming, and anthemic, arena-friendly choruses. The record also marks a new dawn, following the departure of longtime member Winston Marshall in 2021.

The album was recorded between Nashville, Savannah, GA and Mumford’s home studio in Devon, with the group incorporating country and blues elements into their familiar folk sound.

‘Monochrome’ is a stand-out, with the band conjuring three minutes of finger-picked majesty, topped off with some soul-stirring vocals. ‘Where It Belongs’ and ‘Anchor’, meanwhile, prove equally stirring.

7/10

Out now