Mumford & Sons have unveiled the details of their second album, Babel, which will be released through GlassnoteRecords on September 25. The new record is produced by Markus Dravs. The album will be available to pre-order through the band's website starting on July 23. Babel follows the 2009 release of Mumford & Sons' hit debut album, Sigh No More.
"We are more than excited to release Babel into the world. We had started writing new songs well before we got into the studio to record," the band said in a statement. "At first, we peeled ourselves off the road quite reluctantly. We love playing live, obviously, but it had also become an important part of our creative process, we had been writing and rehearsing in soundchecks, and sort of 'road-testing' new songs on our very gracious audiences. But then we fell in love with recording again. The album started to come together, and with the help of Markus Dravs once more (and engineer Robin Baynton), we started to relish the challenge of making this album. As a band, we've never been closer or more collaborative, all working to our strengths. And so we feel that this record is a natural progression that we're proud of, and we cannot wait to take it out on the road."
Mumford & Sons will continue their Gentlemen of the Road Stopover shows this summer in America and their tour will conclude with the Aspen Jazz Festival on September 1. The band will be on the road in Australia and New Zealand in October and November.
"The main challenge we've faced as a band in the last year is working out how to play these larger audiences and keep it feeling like our show," bassist Ted Dwane told Rolling Stone in a recent interview. "A lot of the time, if you go into an arena, they're pretty uninspiring. But we try to create an atmosphere."
The complete tracklist for Babel is as follows:
1. "Babel" 2. "Whispers In The Dark" 3. "I Will Wait" 4. "Holland Road" 5. "Ghosts That We Knew" 6. "Lover Of The Light" 7. "Lovers' Eyes" 8. "Reminder" 9. "Hopeless Wanderer" 10. "Broken Crown" 11. "Below My Feet" 12. "Not With Haste"