Mumford & Sons Planning Long Hiatus, Don’t Know When They’ll Return

Mumford & Sons are ready to take a break.

After ending their summer tour to support the album Babel, the band announced that they’re ready to take a long break away from music. Keyboardist Ben Lovett said that after the tour ended on Friday, “there won’t be any Mumford & Sons activities for the foreseeable future.”

It’s been a long and sometimes trying year for Mumford & Sons. While they had the highs of Grammy wins and a popular tour, they also had lows like bassist Ted Dwane’s emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.

The band also seemed weary of life on the road and ready to decompress a bit. Earlier this year some Mumford & Sons members complained of the difficulty of playing arena sets, saying it brought more pressure to be on their best form.

This summer was particularly busy for the band, with shows that took them across America, Europe, and Japan. They played at a number of festivals, including closing out the Glastonbury 2013 festival.When asked how long the break might be, Lovett admitted he didn’t know.

“We just know we’re going to take a considerable amount of time off and just go back to hanging out and having no commitments or pressure or anything like that,” he said. “It feels like the last week of school right now, before school holiday when you’re in high school. The atmosphere on the road is one of… I think everyone’s excited about being free of schedules.”

The band has been on the run nearly nonstop for the last four years, either recording music or going on tour. Lovett said it is now time for Mumford & Sons to rest up and spend some time with people outside the band.