Delta Review

By: Justice Sahaydak

Mumford & Sons’ newest album, “Delta,”pulls together the best aspects of the band’s earlier albums. While it may not be spectacular the first time you listen to it, you’ll get more and more out of it the longer you have it on repeat.

“Delta” doesn’t have the polished, electronic sound of “Wilder Mind”—many songs even have banjos. However, it’s easier on the ears than the first two albums. “Delta” sidesteps the grating twang of early Mumford & Sons, but it still has more rhythm than their most recent album. Sound wise, “Delta”is an almost perfect combination of the “Babel” and the “Wilder Mind” eras.

Although the music itself is nice, it tends to blur together around track 3. I’ve listened through this album multiple times, and I still can’t tell most of the songs apart. Because of this, “Delta” may not catch people’s attention the first time they listen. People would miss out, though, if they push pause then.

What Mumford and Sons excel at is lyrics, and “Delta” shows their lyrical depth in many aspects of life. The more you listen, the more you hear. For example, “42” asks, “But what if I need you in my darkest hour? / And what if it turns out there is no other?” There are many ways to interpret that, but it shows someone second guessing their deeply held beliefs about a relationship, or about religion, or about the world. No matter what you believe, there’s always a little part of you that can ask, “What if I’m wrong? And what will I do if I ever have to rely on something I denied?”

Some tracks ask similar questions, while others tackle different aspects of life. “Woman” celebrates a long-term relationship, even through its difficulties. “Slip Away” begs a loved one to stay alive through the night. “Delta’s” fourteen tracks show many of life’s facets that rarely get put to music.

Although the sound may not differentiate one track from the other, the stories told and the questions asked certainly will. All and all, this is peak Mumford and Sons.