"...emphasizes the intensity and technicality that have defined the band's illustrious career." - Knotfest
"...Hum of Hurt embraces restraint, letting the bandās intricate, heavy arrangements breathe." - Revolver Magazine
"ferocious" - The Needle Drop
Photo by Nick Fancher.
Released on Deathwish / Epitaph, Converge's new album Hum of Hurt follows Love Is Not Enough as the band's second full-length release of 2026. Like its predecessor, the album offers a bleak yet empathetic assessment of the human condition and its ongoing deterioration. With this album, the songs are more raw and exposed. āWhen we came together to write, we ended up with a wealth of material,ā Bannon says. āAs work progressed we realized we had created two separate albums, and treated them as such.ā
Hum of Hurt is distinct from Love Is Not Enough, but just as volatile and potent. āItās not a sequel,ā Bannon explains. āThe unifying musical idea early on was, āLetās make a noise rock album.ā But we never really did. The first one wasnāt. This one touches on that spirit, but itās much more dynamic than that descriptor. To me, it leans more into being an emotional hardcore album, while Love Is Not Enough feels more metal leaning album. In the end, we simply gave creative birth to another Converge record with its own unique identity and character.ā
Album opener āSlip the Nooseā erupts with a furious cannonade from drummer Ben Koller before launching into a short, grinding frenzy that would feel at home on Jane Doe.
āDoom in Bloomā is raw and bloody, as guitarist Kurt Ballouās spiky riffs scrape against Nate Newtonās bass and Kollerās drums. You can practically hear Bannonās throat tearing apart in every scream. āItās dark and pointed right at you,ā he says. āLyrically, Iām exploring how my own middle-aged introspection doesnāt always bring a brighter light. I see my own trappings reflected in those around me. Here I am imploring them to slip the noose to see another day.ā
āDream Debrisā is a gripping, doomy epic born from a single bass note that builds to a booming crescendo. āIt has a lot of twists and turns, yet starts off incredibly simple. The slow build was driven by Nateās vision and bass tone,ā Bannon says. āWe kept asking, ourselves āDoes it need anything else?ā In the end, it didnāt. It was just so fucking heavy, encapsulating everything we wanted in the song.āĀ
The menacing track āDetonatorā delivers a powerful line that will linger: Thereās nothing to win if thereās no one to lose. āI go on a bit of a rant here,ā Bannon says. āThe idea is that when passion withers, the broken and beaten often remain in discomfort. The song ends with the line, āDon't be blown apart by your mistakes,ā which sums up its stark mentality on this one.ā
"Hum of Hurt" stands as one of the most propulsive and emotional songs in their career. Thematically, Bannon examines the price of the lives we pursue. āIāve given 35 years of my life to creating art and music,ā he says. āI appreciate the creative home and support this community has given, yet rarely is space left for anything else. These lyrics are me looking in a mirror, recognizing that I am not the man I want to be. I need change, and still have work to do.ā
The album also features a new rendition of āI Wonāt Let You Go,ā originally recorded for the 2020 video game Cyberpunk 2077. āWhen we recorded the first version, Ben tracked drums in California and we assembled it here,ā Bannon explains. āIt was good, but we knew we could do better. This version has everything the previous one was missing. It now feels right.ā
Cover Art:
Converge, on tour;Ā w/ Heriot, Boneflower, Crouch 28.06.26 Belgium Antwerp Zappa 29.06.26 Germany Cologne Essigfabrik 30.06.26 Germany Berlin SO36 02.07.26 Austria Vienna Arena 03.07.26 Italy Milan Circolo Magnolia
UK/EU Summer Festivals 25.06.26 Netherlands Jera On Air 26.06.26 France Superbowl Of Hardcore 27.06.26 UK Outbreak 01.07.26 Czech Rep Obscene Extreme 04.07.26 Spain Resurrection 05.07.26 Portugal Evil Live