Two of modern folk’s most compelling voices have finally collided on record. Mumford & Sons and Hozier have released their first official collaboration, Rubber Band Man, an anthemic single that blends the spiritual grit of Marcus Mumford’s trio with the brooding soulfulness of Hozier. Produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner at Long Pond Studios in New York, the track captures the electrifying chemistry that has long simmered between the two acts.
The release of Rubber Band Man comes just six months after Mumford & Sons’ acclaimed 2025 album Rushmere, their first as a trio since founding member Winston Marshall’s departure. The new single arrives not as an extension of that record, but as a standalone artistic statement-one that feels both intimate and transcendent.
Though Rubber Band Man marks their first studio collaboration, the history between Mumford & Sons and Hozier stretches back nearly a decade. The connection began in 2017 when Hozier joined the British band on stage at Dublin’s Longitude Festival for a rousing cover of The Beatles’ A Little Help From My Friends. They reunited again in 2023 at Austin City Limits, performing Awake My Soul from Mumford & Sons’ 2009 debut Sigh No More.
The shared musical DNA between the two is unmistakable-each artist draws from the deep well of gospel, folk and blues that defines modern roots music. Mumford’s penchant for spiritual yearning and rousing choruses finds a perfect complement in Hozier’s lyrical mysticism and soul-stirring delivery.
Rubber Band Man is a slow burn that builds from a delicate acoustic riff into a euphoric crescendo. It’s a song that feels lived-in and heartfelt, its energy expanding and contracting like the metaphor at its core. Hozier’s haunting, lower-register verses give way to Mumford’s impassioned harmonies, both voices soaring together in the chorus before retreating to the song’s tender beginnings.
Aaron Dessner’s production lends the song a textured, organic warmth-one that recalls his work on Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore albums. Every strum and breath feels deliberate, as if the track were captured live in a single moment of shared inspiration.
Lyrically, Rubber Band Man explores emotional elasticity-the push and pull of love, vulnerability and self-doubt. The titular character represents someone caught between connection and withdrawal, forever stretching but never breaking.
“When you can’t win for losing / And the beggars start choosing the chaos in your head,” Mumford sings, painting a portrait of inner turmoil and resilience. Hozier’s verse deepens the metaphor, urging the subject to “be a rubber band man, make the water your bones,” encouraging emotional flexibility instead of rigid self-protection.
As the song unfolds, the protagonists grapple with impermanence, longing and the fragility of intimacy. The recurring refrain “nothing lasts forever, babe” captures the bittersweet truth at the heart of both artists’ songwriting-the beauty of human connection lies in its transience.
Rubber Band Man follows Rushmere, Mumford & Sons’ first album since 2018’s Delta. Recorded in Nashville, Savannah and Devon with producer Dave Cobb, Rushmere marked a creative rebirth for the trio. The record leaned into stripped-back folk textures, trading the grand anthems of Babel and Wilder Mind for something more reflective.
The band have since reignited their live presence, welcoming surprise guests like Lainey Wilson and Sierra Ferrell on their recent US tour, where they performed Townes Van Zandt’s If I Needed You and a one-mic rendition of Awake My Soul.
For Hozier, Rubber Band Man continues a prolific streak following his 2024 album Unreal Unearth, a record inspired by Dante’s Inferno. Since his 2013 breakthrough with Take Me To Church, the Irish singer-songwriter has built a global reputation for pairing poetic lyricism with visceral soul. His collaborations-ranging from Noah Kahan on Northern Attitude to his recurring appearances with Mumford & Sons-have only deepened his influence in contemporary folk.
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