The music industry’s eternal dance between heritage and innovation is playing out in fascinating ways this season. Take Mumford & Sons, those folk-rock titans who once had everyone reaching for their banjos — they’re back after a seven-year breather with “Rushmere,” and wouldn’t you know it? They’re sticking to their guns.
Named after a cherished spot on London’s Wimbledon Common (where the lads used to hang in their early days), the album feels less like a reinvention and more like a warm embrace of what made them special in the first place. “Most of the songs on this record, you could play on an acoustic guitar around a campfire,” Marcus Mumford recently shared. There’s something refreshingly honest about that admission — no pretense, no desperate grab at relevance.
The band’s upcoming tour schedule includes an October 20 stop at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, their first Motor City appearance since 2019. Working alongside Dave Cobb — the producer wizard behind Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlile’s magic — they’ve crafted what feels like coming home. Take “Malibu,” the album’s opener: it’s pure Mumford, building from whispered confessions to that signature heart-swelling crescendo we’ve come to expect. “You are all I want, you’re all I need!” Yeah, they know exactly who they are.
Meanwhile, in an entirely different corner of the music world, something rather unexpected is brewing. Chet Hanks — yes, Tom’s son — is carving out his own path with Something Out West, his country music collaboration with Drew Arthur. Their latest single “You Better Run” comes with a clever little nugget of marketing genius: a music video that tips its hat to papa Hanks’s “Forrest Gump” role, complete with a touching bench scene featuring both generations.
The younger Hanks, who’s keeping busy with Netflix’s “Running Point,” recently told Esquire something rather intriguing about his creative pursuits: “Ultimately, I consider myself an artist, and acting and music are just two different mediums for being able to express myself.” It’s the kind of statement that might’ve raised eyebrows a decade ago, but in 2024’s shape-shifting entertainment landscape? Makes perfect sense.
Both stories, different as they might be, touch on something deeper about artistic identity. Mumford & Sons, now a trio after Winston Marshall’s 2021 departure, aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel — they’re just making it roll smoother. Sometimes evolution means diving deeper into your strengths rather than throwing everything out the window.
For Chet Hanks and Something Out West (whose partnership, interestingly enough, bloomed from a shared sobriety journey), the path forward means walking a delicate line. They’re acknowledging those famous family ties while steadily building their own thing in the country scene. Their debut project, set for 2025, might just surprise a few skeptics.
Look at these parallel stories long enough, and you’ll start to see the common thread: authenticity doesn’t always wear the same outfit. Sometimes it’s about doubling down on what you do best, like Mumford & Sons heading back to Detroit with their beloved acoustic arsenal. Other times it’s about finding clever ways to acknowledge your roots while pushing into new territory — Something Out West style.
Funny how that works, isn’t it?
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