People have told Mumford & Sons that it seems the band is in better form than ever. “We were with one of our buddies,” Marcus Mumford tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “He came to one of our shows and said to us that it felt the best it’s ever felt.” And that’s what it’s like inside the band, too. “I feel like we’re at that place,” says Mumford. “And it’s really fun.” Much soul-searching was done in the years preceding 2025 album RUSHMERE—their first in seven years—a period in which banjo player Winston Marshall departed under controversial circumstances. But the band resolved to put the grind of their mid-career years behind them and enjoy it like they were a new band again, and RUSHMERE lit a flame within them. Following its creation, the band felt like they had more, much more, creative energy in the tank. “It was like we’d renewed our vows,” explains Mumford. “Then we were like, ‘Now let’s go and write the best songs we’ve ever written.’” Mumford & Sons’ sixth album Prizefighter arrived less than a year after RUSHMERE and was made in the period immediately following its sessions. “That’s why we called it Prizefighter,” says Mumford. “Let’s get back to the ambition and the hard work and unapologetic nature of the band that we started with.” There’s no way they could have pulled it off without being in peak condition. Prizefighter came together over 10 prolific and joyous days at co-producer Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond Studio in upstate New York. (Mumford describes Dessner as the “coolest indie kid in the world” and a “creative genius.”) These songs are imbued with the euphoria of seizing the moment, from the swaying Americana-style grooves of opener “Here” to the yearning hooks of “The Banjo Song” and the stripped-down contemplative ballad “I’ll Tell You Everything.” This is a record reveling in first-take flaws, more about capturing the warmth in the room than slick perfection. There’s a feeling of camaraderie that you imagine made their guests feel very welcome; Prizefighter features contributions from Chris Stapleton, Hozier, Gigi Perez, and Gracie Abrams. The collaborative approach all fed into the band’s determination not to rest on their laurels. “It’s a kind of reset,” Mumford says. “Let’s go again and do a lot that we haven’t yet had the opportunity to do so far. I don’t think we’ve seen it all by any stretch, and getting to work with some of these artists who are a bit younger or doing something slightly different is like a sharpening of our creative tools. I hope we continue to welcome that in the studio.”