Late last week, Mumford and Sons teased their fans with big news, and today (March 2), they've followed through on their promise (you can see the teaser in the video above).

Mumford and Sons are gearing up to release their third full-length album, Wilder Mind, on May 4 via Glassnote Records. Produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Haim, Florence and the Machine), the record will feature 12 new tracks written collaboratively by the band while they were in London, Brooklyn and Texas. In fact, a handful of the new tracks were written and demoed at Aaron Dessner’s (of the National) studios in Brooklyn.

According to the band, Wilder Mind will be a “significant departure” with “a minimalist yet panoramic feel.”

“Towards the end of the Babel tour, we’d always play new songs during sound checks, and none of them featured the banjo or a kick drum,” Marcus Mumford explains. “And demoing with Aaron meant that, when we took a break, we knew it wasn’t going to involve acoustic instruments. We didn’t say, ‘No acoustic instruments.’ But I think all of us had this desire to shake it up. The songwriting hasn’t changed drastically; it was led more by a desire to not do the same thing again. Plus, we fell back in love with drums! It’s as simple as that.”

Multi-instrumentalist Ben Lovett adds to Mumford’s sentiments, “It felt completely natural, like it did when we started out. It was very much a case of, if someone was playing an electric guitar, drums were going to complement that best; and, sonically, it then made sense to add a synth or an organ. We chose instruments that played well off each other, rather than consciously trying to overhaul it.”

In support of the new record, Mumford and Sons are hitting the road for their Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers tour. Each Stopover is a two-day event that features the massive excitement of a festival with the intimacy of a small-town celebration. The outdoor events will take place throughout the world and will feature a number of acclaimed acts including Foo Fighters, Alabama Shakes and the Flaming Lips.

They've already announced a handful of Stopovers:

Seaside Heights, N.J.
June 5-6 -- Mumford and Sons, The Flaming Lips, Alabama Shakes, The Vaccines, The Maccabees, Dawes, The Very Best, Jenny Lewis, Little May, JEFF The Brotherhood, Blake Mills + more TBA

Waverly, Iowa
June 19-20 -- Mumford & Sons, The Flaming Lips, My Morning Jacket, Dawes, Jenny Lewis, The Maccabees, The Very Best, Rubblebucket, JEFF The Brotherhood, Blake Mills + more TBA

Aviemore, Scotland
July 31-Aug. 1 -- Mumford & Sons, Primal Scream, Simian Mobile Disco, Ben Howard, Lianne La Havas, The Maccabees, Jack Garratt, Honeyblood + more TBA

Walla Walla, Wash.
August 14-15 -- Mumford & Sons, Foo Fighters, The Flaming Lips, The Vaccines, Dawes, Jenny Lewis, TuneYards, James Vincent McMorrow, JEFF The Brotherhood, Blake Mills + more TBA

Salida, Colo.
August 21-22 -- Mumford & Sons, The Flaming Lips, Dawes,
Jenny Lewis, The Vaccines, TuneYards, James Vincent McMorrow, JEFF The Brotherhood, Blake Mills + more TBA

Wilder Mind is available for pre-order in a number of formats, including deluxe CD, 12" vinyl and as a 7" collectors box. You can get details on the upcoming release here.

Mumford and Sons - 'Wilder Mind'
Glassnote
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Wilder Mind Tracklist
1. "Tompkins Square Park”
2. "Believe”
3. "The Wolf”
4. "Wilder Mind”
5. "Just Smoke”
6. "Monster”
7. "Snake Eyes”
8. "Broad-Shouldered Beasts”
9. "Cold Arms”
10. "Ditmas”
11. "Only Love”
12. "Hot Gates”

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