2019 has been a big year for Mumford & Sons. They released their latest album, Delta, received the John Steinbeck Award, and embarked on one of their biggest world tours yet, delivering their biggest stage show to date to millions of fans. You would think that the band would want to take a break after the year they’ve had, but there’s already talk of a new EP being released in the spring of 2020 — and the month of December brought fans a brand new single, “Blind Leading the Blind,” for which the music video just debuted online.
The band, consisting of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, guitars, drums), Winston Marshall (lead guitar, banjo, vocals), Ben Lovett (piano, keyboard, accordion, vocals), and Ted Dwane (bass guitar, upright bass, vocals), started trickling this song out to audiences back in 2017. The song was off the radar for a bit before starting to show up again during the latter half of their Delta tour this year, leading up to its studio recording and release.
The meaning behind the song, to me, is more powerful in 2019 than it may have been if released back in 2017. As Mumford sings, “My generation’s stuck in the mirror.” In a time when most of us spend our lives behind screens, always worrying about “me,” this song dives into actually reaching out, being unafraid, and truly getting to know and help one another.
“So, put your hands in mine tonight
And I will be here
When you’re crying out tonight
I will be here”
The song has been delivered in a variety of ways, from a beautiful acoustic version live at the reception for the John Steinbeck award, to the powerhouse version that was recorded and turned into this music video.
The video features Marcus Mumford pouring himself into his drum set. Most people who aren’t avid fans of Mumford & Sons may not even realize that Marcus is a stellar drummer (he usually takes the set for 1-2 songs during live performances), so this video gives him a chance to truly let that side of his musicianship shine. Viewers get to see the passion that he has when he performs, as he wears it strongly on his face, and the video isn’t an exaggeration (as those who’ve seen the band live will tell you). You can tell that he embodies the words and meaning of the song with his entire being as he performs.
It’s interesting that the video features only Marcus, but I like the overall imagery it provides. To me, it appears to be someone who has a message to share that they are very passionate about, and they are screaming it out, beating it out, dying to be heard… but stuck behind the mirror, and it’s ultimately lonely there. It’s often how I feel in my own head with life in the present day, considering the rat race of social media and trying to be seen and heard — “I am not known if I’m not seen or heard” — but losing the face to face connection of really getting to know people.
Check out the music video above and, if you crave more, you can find a live video of the song from the Austin City Limits festival on YouTube. Listen to their newest album, Delta, below: