Grammy-award winning alternative/alt-folk collective Mumford & Sons return with “Guiding Light,” the promo single from their third LP, ‘Delta.’  

A couple of years ago, Mumford & Sons were huge. That’s right, there was a folk resurgence, and Marcus Mumford and the boys were the crème de la crème.  Hell, they even pulled off a shocking win for Album of the Year for their sophomore album, Babel, released in 2012.  Since then, however, the alt-rock/alt-folk collective hasn’t quite experienced the same buzz. Wilder Mind didn’t really ‘tickle my fancy’ in 2015, getting no recognition at The Grammys it was eligible for.  In 2016, the collective released an EP, Johannesburg, featuring The Very Best and Baaba Maal.  Again, the project didn’t receive the same buzz.  Can single “Guiding Light” help propel the album Delta (arriving 11.16.2018)? Maybe.

“Guiding Light” is respectable in duration, crossing the three-and-a-half-minute mark.  The sound can be described as folksy, alternative rock/pop sound.  It’s composed of driving rhythms, thudding kick, tambourine, acoustic guitars, and electric guitars. The record maintains a relatively standard form: brief intro, verses, chorus, bridge, chorus… The first two verses (or one big verse depending on how you analyze it) are both focused on eyes. At the end of the second verse, Mumford sings, “I guess I’m all you have / And I swear you’ll see the dawn again.” On the chorus, Mumford makes it clear that the person he’s addressing is his “only guiding light”

“Well I know I had it all on the line

But don’t just sit with folded hands and become blind

Cos even when there is no star in sight

You’ll always be my only guiding light.”

The chorus is naturally bigger and more robust than the verses.  Speaking of the rest of the verses, the third verse finds Mumford “still in awe of you,” while he doesn’t want her to leave or disappear on the fourth because, his guiding light. The bridge continues to put plenty of stock into this person.  Fair enough.

Final Thoughts

All in all, “Guiding Light” is a solid Mumford & Sons record.  It doesn’t necessarily change their career trajectory, whatever it might currently be, but it’s well-rounded. Will this go down as one of the best songs of 2018? Not necessarily, but it’s worthy of spins.

Mumford & Sons • Delta • Glassnote • Release: 11.16.18

Photo Credit: Glassnote