Released today 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. “When we came together to write, we ended up with a wealth of material,” Bannon says. “As work progressed we realized we had created two separate albums, and treated them as such.”
Hum of Hurt is distinct from Love Is Not Enough, but just as volatile and potent. “It’s not a sequel,” Bannon explains. “The unifying musical idea early on was, ‘Let’s make a noise rock album.’ But we never really did. The first one wasn’t. This one touches on that spirit, but it’s 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.”
Album opener ‘Slip the Noose’ erupts with a furious cannonade from drummer Ben Koller before launching into a short, grinding frenzy that would feel at home on Jane Doe.
Listen / share album opener ‘Slip the Noose’
‘Doom in Bloom’ is raw and bloody, as guitarist Kurt Ballou’s spiky riffs scrape against Nate Newton’s bass and Koller’s drums. You can practically hear Bannon’s throat tearing apart in every scream. “It’s dark and pointed right at you,” he says. “Lyrically, I’m exploring how my own middle-aged introspection doesn’t 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.”
‘Dream Debris’ is a gripping, doomy epic born from a single bass note that builds to a booming crescendo. “It has a lot of twists and turns, yet starts off incredibly simple. The slow build was driven by Nate’s vision and bass tone,” Bannon says. “We kept asking, ourselves ‘Does it need anything else?’ In the end, it didn’t. It was just so fucking heavy, encapsulating everything we wanted in the song.”
The menacing track ‘Detonator’ delivers a powerful line that will linger: There’s nothing to win if there’s no one to lose. “I go on a bit of a rant here,” Bannon says. “The idea is that when passion withers, the broken and beaten often remain in discomfort. The song ends with the line, ‘Don’t be blown apart by your mistakes,’ which sums up its stark mentality on this one.”
‘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. “I’ve given 35 years of my life to creating art and music,” he says. “I 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.”
The album also features a new rendition of ‘I Won’t Let You Go,’ originally recorded for the 2020 video game Cyberpunk 2077. “When we recorded the first version, Ben tracked drums in California and we assembled it here,” Bannon explains. “It was good, but we knew we could do better. This version has everything the previous one was missing. It now feels right.”
Praise for Converge
“propulsive and quite dynamic” – Consequence
“…emphasizes the intensity and technicality that have defined the band’s illustrious career.” – Knotfest
“…Hum of Hurt embraces restraint, letting the band’s intricate, heavy arrangements breathe.” – Revolver Magazine
“ferocious” – The Needle Drop
Converge
Hum of Hurt
Pick up Hum of Hurt here
Hum of Hurt cover art
Track list:
- Slip The Noose
- Doom In Bloom
- It Only Gets Worse
- Detonator
- I Won’t Let You Go
- It’s Not Up To Us
- Dream Debris
- It Used To Matter
- Hum Of Hurt
- Nothing Is Over
