“For years we’ve been secretly dreaming,” the caption read on Mumford and Sons’ January Instagram post, announcing a new and long awaited album that, if the caption is anything to go by, has been in the works under wraps for quite a while.

That might explain it was only after a seven-year drought, the indie band released this fifth studio album, “Rushmere,” on March 28, to the surprise and enthusiasm of their fans who commented “we’re so back.”

“Rushmere” is the group’s first album since the release of “Delta” in 2018. The band also announced the upcoming North American leg of their 2025 tour after the album’s release. They will be performing in Mansfield at the Xfinity Center, on June 20.

The surprise announcement was the first news from the band since banjo player Winston Marshall left the group in 2021. Previous albums released by Mumford and Sons have all featured the original band members—lead singer Marcus Mumford, pianist Ben Lovett, and guitarist Ted Dwayne. In anticipation, their fanbase must have wondered how a new album would sound with the band performing as a trio.

The title “Rushmere” comes from a pub in England where the band members would hang out when they were younger, infusing nostalgia into the album’s ethos. The black and white, vintage-inspired cover serves as a “goodbye” to the old band, and a welcome to who they exist as now.

The songs build an atmosphere of reflection and reverie, with opener “Malibu” suggesting the city or someone in it as a place of grounding and safety for the singer. The song’s refrain, “I’ll find peace beneath / the shadow of your wings,” shows a deep connection that calms the soul after emotional struggle.

The classic folk sound fans have come to know and love often emphasizes upbeat banjo riffs, ever-present in songs like “Babel” and “I Will Wait.” It appears sparingly in their latest album, which can be explained by Marshall’s departure. The first three songs, “Malibu,” “Caroline,” and the titular single “Rushmere,” include this upbeat banjo in some capacity.

The song “Rushmere,” the first from the album, was released on Jan. 17 and is, by far, the standout. The upbeat piece opens with, “Don’t you miss / the breathlessness / the wildness in the eye,” evoking memories of perhaps their own past when they were younger and more energetic as a band. The song retains the signature folk sound of their earlier works, reminding listeners of “Babel” from 2012, and their debut “Sigh No More” from 2009.

The single “Rushmere” is followed by “Monochrome,” which is most representative of lead singer Mumford’s solo album, “Self Titled” which was released in 2022. That album featured numerous collaborations with artists such as Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo. Mumford took a more pop-leaning approach that allowed him to write more personally, covering topics including his childhood and relationship with his parents. His time performing solo has had a clear influence on “Rushmere,” since its songs are more focused on lyricism rather than orchestration.

There is a distinct difference to “Rushmere” than there is to the band’s earlier sound—it’s missing the urgency and angsty emotion in favor of softer and sadder beats.

“Truth,” the fifth track on the album, brings some of that angst back, featuring a rock sound with an electric guitar alongside the acoustic. Its lyrics, including the refrain “If there’s a fire in the almost places / Leaves us nowhere else to go / Don’t leave the liars in the honest places,” set to an upbeat staccato, rock-adjacent sound, show Mumford and Sons is still capable of producing energetic, momentum-filled tracks.

This album is meant to be a reintroduction to the band after a brief hiatus since the departure of Winston Marshall. They clearly want to do something different that does not feel like a simple revival of what they’re already known for.

The album pays homage to their past but looks toward a new future, demonstrating a success in their efforts to bring themselves back from relative obscurity after not putting out new music for so long. To their dedicated fan base, the album shows that the band is ready to finally give them the new music—and identity—they have long been waiting for.