Mumford & Sons – “The Wolf”
Mumford & Sons unveiled “Believe,” the lead single from their decidedly not folk new album Wilder Mind a few weeks ago. Most people were glad the band was moving beyond recipe-folk, but we didn’t really need another bloated modern-rock Coldplay sound-alike. Their second single, “The Wolf,” is even more of a straightforward rock song than “Believe,” driven by percussion and a wobbly, dark bass that complements Marcus Mumford’s hoarse vocal soars. But if I didn’t know it was Mumford & Sons, I probably would’ve clicked through after a minute or so. What initially drew me to Mumford & Sons was that nobody sounded like them, and that Mumford sound was so singular it spawned infinite copycats … to the point that we reached saturation. Now, they’re the ones that sound like everybody else. Ross Stirling directed the visuals accompanying the official audio — a kaleidoscopic mash-up of views from a driver’s seat, rushing through a big city at night. Watch it below.
Wilder Mind is out 5/4 via Glassnote Records.