Mumford & Sons - Delta
Critic Score
Based on 24 reviews
2018 Ratings: #849 / 890
User Score
Based on 179 ratings
2018 Rank: #762
Liked by 8 people
November 16, 2018 / Release Date
LP / Format
Glassnote / Label
Folk Pop / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
The Telegraph

Delta is their best album yet, spiritual solace wrapped in secular anthems.

85
Paste
There’s something to be said for invoking majesty in music and offering the impression that it’s worth leaning to extract some larger meaning. Whether there are lessons to be found is strictly a matter of interpretation. Any album this epic in scope is, at very least, worthy of their reputation.
70
American Songwriter

People will relate to the universal doubts and fears that are often stirringly evoked by the music and lyrics on Delta. Mumford & Sons know their strengths and they play to them well here, proving that too much catharsis is better than not enough.

67
Consequence of Sound
Though “experimental” may be a bit of an overstatement, the best parts of Delta prove that, in the hands of the right producer, Mumford & Sons remain capable of recording radio-ready earworms that challenge expectations (a little, at least) while still retaining the major qualities that made them superstars in the first place.
60
The Independent

Where Wilder Mind purported to be ambitious, this record genuinely is. The soundscapes are cinematic – and intense.

60
NME
Lyrically, the record deals with the onset of maturity and this, combined with that forward-thinking approach, suggests Mumford & Sons are here for the long haul. It’s a far from perfect album, but the band’s hunger for new sounds must be applauded.
58
Pitchfork
Having shed the beardy affect and folksy shuffle, the band could now slip mostly unnoticed between Imagine Dragons and twenty one pilots, but their newly palatable sound could really use more quirks.
50
AllMusic

There is a pulse, but it's soft and turned electronic. There is emotion, but it's been intentionally encased in a digital cocoon, one that flattens the group's bold accents (such as an embrace of vocoders) and turns Delta into soft, shimmering background music, ideal for any soothing setting you'd like.

40
The Guardian
What a shame. Mumfords were once adept at uniting disparate influences. Their mesh of big-tent club tempos and banjo hoedowns was horrible but ingenious – it’s a knack they’ve lost.
40
Rolling Stone

The problem with Delta is that it feels overwhelmed by its ambitions. The Mumfords constantly fall into the trap of confusing seriousness with grimness, revealing the goth soul lurking beneath their folkie exterior.

40
DIY

At this point Mumford & Sons know exactly what they have to do to keep the Spotify streams rolling over, and ‘Delta’ feels like an exercise in box-ticking, no more, no less.

Blasted
28

Yikes…this is worse than I remember

I’m not a massive M&S hater, I like the Wilder Mind album for some reason, but everything else they’ve ever done has been completely dogshit, including this. This is either wildly boring, or straight up trash. It does take a significant more amount of risks than pretty much every album they’ve ever done, but that doesn’t mean these risks necessarily sound good…because they don’t. I’ve listened to this ... read more

AidenBowe45
45

I think this was a really good fit for the family-friendly music I was looking for in terms of background noise. But like Imagine Dragons' "Origins," it doesn't take any chances and doesn't really stand out. While there are a few standout songs on the album, such as "If I Say" and "Guiding Light," it feels cliched and uninspired all throughout. It's not as offensively bad as their last album "Wilder Mind," but it still doesn't make an impact that lasts, ... read more

PipePanic
38

I think the problem that I had with Imagine Dragons is here, but somehow it's less annoying. The melody, musicianship and production, while unmemorable and generic, are nice when you are listening to them. It's enough to gently guide you to a nice space of mind, but nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes, it seems like the song is going to finally get to an interesting idea (Such as The Wild or 42), but usually sticks to it's acoustic 'neo-folk' styling. And it's not like the band can't make ... read more

Blasted
28

Yikes…this is worse than I remember

I’m not a massive M&S hater, I like the Wilder Mind album for some reason, but everything else they’ve ever done has been completely dogshit, including this. This is either wildly boring, or straight up trash. It does take a significant more amount of risks than pretty much every album they’ve ever done, but that doesn’t mean these risks necessarily sound good…because they don’t. I’ve listened to this ... read more

AidenBowe45
45

I think this was a really good fit for the family-friendly music I was looking for in terms of background noise. But like Imagine Dragons' "Origins," it doesn't take any chances and doesn't really stand out. While there are a few standout songs on the album, such as "If I Say" and "Guiding Light," it feels cliched and uninspired all throughout. It's not as offensively bad as their last album "Wilder Mind," but it still doesn't make an impact that lasts, ... read more

96

Love this album. I'm that weird guy who loves both the old and new stuff of a lot of albums, which I understand is a bit of an odd thing, but I truly think this album is just terrific. They forwent their banjo/bluegrass heavy kind of music and elevated their game: literally. I can listen to this album anyday, everyday, and whenever I'm in a mood and need to think, this is immediately the album I put on.

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Track List

142
4:00
81
2Guiding Light
3:37
53
3Woman
4:34
41
4Beloved
4:25
52
5The Wild
5:31
68
6October Skies
3:43
31
7Slip Away
4:55
46
8Rose of Sharon
3:23
40
9Picture You
4:03
43
10Darkness Visible
3:11
34
11If I Say
4:29
30
12Wild Heart
5:05
30
13Forever
4:36
15
14Delta
6:16
68
Total Length: 1 hour, 1 minute

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Added on: September 21, 2018