Mumford & Sons Saddle Up in Rousing ‘Ditmas’ Video

Mumford & Sons, in their own British way, have built a career out of uncovering and exploring the myriad facets of Americana, and their new video for “Ditmas” taps into one of the country’s most cherished relationships: A man and his horse.

The new clip juxtaposes footage of the band performing the propulsive Wilder Mind cut on a round stage with a man working to break his bucking bronco. Though the rider is thrown from the saddle early on, after much patience and horse-whispering the video ends with him twisting and standing atop the saddle as his horse gallops through the amber waves of grain.

As Mumford & Sons told Rolling Stone, “Ditmas” ”” which was written in New York City and recorded in a studio located in the Brooklyn neighborhood Ditmas Park ”” helped set the tone for the rest of Wilder Mind. The group dropped their signature neo-folk sound and went electric, but they also collaborated in new ways, particularly lyrically.

While Wilder Mind‘s new sound drew mixed reviews from critics, and opening week sales were less than half of the band’s previous LP, Babel, the band continues to draw big festival crowds and stands firmly behind the new record.

“People have been willing to come with us,” Marcus Mumford told Rolling Stone recently. “Because we didn’t know whether they would. There was no guaranteeing, because we changed quite a lot of the formulas that were working for people, you know.”

Mumford & Sons have a handful of North American dates lined up for the rest of the summer, including a headlining set at San Francisco’s Outside Lands, and a two-night stand at The Forum in Los Angeles on August 17th and 18th. The band’s traveling stopover festival, Gentlemen of the Road, is also scheduled to hit Walla Walla, Washington and Salida, Colorado on August 15th and 22nd, respectively.