Is Chris Stapleton in his folk era? These days, it seems as if country and folk have never been closer together. In addition to major young stars such as Zach Bryan, Sam Barber, Evan Honer, Dylan Gossett and more rising in the genre with a folk-centric sound, we’ve seen a plethora of major folk artists cross over into the country world as of late. From Noah Kahan teaming up with both Bryan and Kelsea Ballerini on the CMA-nominated track, “Cowboys Cry Too,” to Chance Peña recently hopping on Barber’s 2025 song, “Better than the Floor,” there have been some high-profile crossovers over the past two years. Lately, none other than Mumford & Sons have been the latest folk staple to cross over into country, making appearances with the likes of Luke Combs, Sierra Ferrell, Lainey Wilson and more over the course of the past year. Not only did they make multiple appearances with Ferrell and Wilson throughout their 2025 tour, most notably, Mumford and Co. were also featured predominantly during the Grand Ole Opry’s historic, first-ever international show in London at the Royal Albert Hall. Joining the likes of Combs, Darius Rucker, Ashley McBryde and more, frontman Marcus Mumford joined the “Hurricane” singer for a cover of Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind” at the event. With so many appearances with country superstars recently, especially over the past few months, many (myself included) were wondering if Mumford and Co. were signaling a potential full crossover into the genre due to the prominence and subsequent fusion of both country and folk over the past few years. As it turns out, Mumford & Sons are not fully diving into country music. With that being said, however, they did just deliver another stellar outing on their sixth studio album, Prizefighter, today, which features none other than the living legend himself, Chris Stapleton. View this post on Instagram Appearing as the record’s first track, “Here,” which was written by Mumford himself, fellow bandmembers Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane, along with The National’s Aaron Dessner, marks the first time Mumford & Sons have featured a country artist on any of their six studio albums. As for “Here” itself, it’s safe to say it’s just about everything that you would want from a crossover between these two powerhouses in their respective genres. Adding a bit more percussion and electric guitar into the mix compared to the majority of Prizefighter, the track perfectly lends itself to Stapleton’s style while still staying true to that classic Mumford sound that you’d expect. Lyrically, it’s quite an interesting one on multiple fronts. For starters, “Here” presents itself like an album-closer rather than an opener, feeling more like a departing letter. Here, Mumford and Stapleton seemingly grapple with a broken relationship, telling the unknown subject of the song to essentially take everything from his past, knowing it will help them find peace. “Well, here’s my final serenade Here’s a gun and here’s a blade Here’s a picture that I saved For too long Here’s my credit card and keys And the reason I won’t find peace Here’s a song I should not complete For too long” Once the chorus kicks in, which features some absolutely brilliant harmonies that highlight Stapleton’s world-class vocals, they continue the theme of offering up pieces of themselves, pride, shame, past mistakes and all. “Well, here’s my pride and here’s my shame Here’s a trophy that bears my name Here’s all the mistakes I madе For too long Here’s the answеrs I never gave Here’s the calls I shoulda made Here’s a substance that I crave All along” Overall, “Here” is a highly successful outing from Mumford and Stapleton. As folk and country continue to blend together and crossover, I would absolutely not mind further exploration in the genre from Mumford & Sons, especially if it’s as interesting as it is here both lyrically and sonically. “Here” All-American Road Show Tour Dates May 23 – Nashville, Tennessee – Nissan Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 11 – Jacksonville, Florida – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena with Allen Stone June 13 – Tampa, Florida – Raymond James Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 17 – Burgettstown, Pennsylvania – The Pavilion at Star Lake with Allen Stone June 20 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Bank of America Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 24 – Hershey, Pennsylvania – Hersheypark Stadium with Grace Potter June 26 – North Charleston, South Carolina – North Charleston Coliseum with Grace Potter July 8 – Mountain View, California – Shoreline Amphitheater with Molly Tuttle July 10 – Chula Vista, California – North Island Credit Union Amphitheater with Molly Tuttle July 17 – Portland, Oregon – Providence Park with Grace Potter July 22 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Rogers Arena with The Teskey Brothers July 24 – George, Washington – The Gorge with Grace Potter July 29 – Shakopee, Minnesota – Mystic Lake Amphitheater  with Allen Stone August 1 – Cincinnati, Ohio – Paycor Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone August 6 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Stadium with Zach Top & Allen Stone August 8 – Detroit, Michigan – Ford Field with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone August 14 – Boston, Massachusetts – Fenway Park with Zach Top & Allen Stone August 18 – Virginia Beach, Virginia – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater with Maggie Rose August 21 – Atlanta, Georgia – Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Ashley McBryde August 26 – Wantagh, New York – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater with Carter Faith August 28 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion with Carter Faith October 2 – Bristow, Virginia – Jiffy Lube Live with Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs October 7 – Lincoln, Nebraska – Pinnacle Bank Arena with Nikki Lane October 9 – Kansas City, Missouri – Morton Amphitheater with Nikki LaneThe post Mumford & Sons Enlist Chris Stapleton On Stellar New Track, “Here” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.