An interview with the NME last week brought the revelation that the banjo had been put down on new album Wilder Mind, a comment proved factually accurate on new single "Believe", which eschews the band's typical jingly jangly banjo action for a rockier sound.

Often more associated with stereotypical Southern American hicks sitting on porches with straw in their mouths, the British four-piece elevated the traditional bluegrass instrument to the headline slot of the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2013 thanks to the success of their first two albums Sigh No More and

Babel. Google the phrase "Mumford banjo", and you get 304,000 results in less than half a second.

However, in recent months came reports that the band's relationship with their banjo were strained - speaking to Vulture in March 2014, banjo player Winston Marshall said: "I think 'killed' is an understatement. We murdered [the banjo]. We let it, yeah - f*** the banjo. I f***ing hate the banjo."

While frontman Marcus Mumford claimed in a recent interview that the band's split with the banjo was amicable ("We didn't say:

'No acoustic instruments.' But I think all of us had this desire to shake it up," he claims), there has been no news from the banjo's management.

Rumours that the banjo was ceremonially burned in a pagan ritual are as yet unconfirmed.

Mumford and Sons' banjo was unavailable for comment.

Wilder Mind is out in the UK on 4 May 2015, and the first track will be played at 8PM tonight on BBC Radio 1.

Follow Ben Travis on Twitter: @BenSTravis