Converge will release their 12th studio album, Hum Of Hurt, on June 5, 2026, via Deathwish and Epitaph. The band has also shared the music video for the title track, offering a visceral glimpse into the record’s sonic intensity.
by Paul Cashmere
Converge, the American metalcore trailblazers led by vocalist Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou, have announced a surprise second album for 2026, Hum Of Hurt, following February’s release of Love Is Not Enough. The 12-track record arrives June 5, 2026, with the title track released today alongside a new music video.
Hum Of Hurt builds on Converge’s 36-year career of intense, boundary-pushing hardcore, presenting a more exposed and emotional approach compared with its predecessor. Inspired by the mysterious worldwide phenomenon known as “The Hum,” Bannon interprets it as a sonic metaphor for human suffering, creating an album that marries existential reflection with the band’s signature ferocity.
Recorded and mixed by Ballou at GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts, with engineering support from Zach Weeks, Hum Of Hurt is described by Bannon as a record shaped by both introspection and confrontation. “When we came together to write, we ended up with a wealth of material,” Bannon says. “As work progressed we realised we had created two separate albums, and treated them as such.”
Hum Of Hurt is intentionally distinct from Love Is Not Enough, veering more into emotional hardcore while its predecessor leaned toward metal. The title track confronts the personal cost of a life dedicated to creation, with Bannon reflecting, “I’ve given 35 years of my life to creating art and music. 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, recognising that I am not the man I want to be.”
The album artwork, designed by Bannon in collaboration with UK artist Thomas Hooper, visualises the concept of the Hum through a fusion of EKG signals and seismography, representing the entanglement of the five elements of the planet in chaos.
Hum Of Hurt tracklist:
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
Formed in 1990 in Salem, Massachusetts, Converge pioneered the metalcore and mathcore genres, combining hardcore punk intensity with metal complexity. After achieving cult status with their landmark 2001 album Jane Doe, the band became known for both sonic extremity and intricate rhythms. Longtime members Bannon, Ballou, bassist Nate Newton, and drummer Ben Koller have sustained the lineup since 1999, contributing to projects including Supermachiner, Old Man Gloom, and Mutoid Man.
Converge’s discography shows a constant evolution, from early releases Halo In A Haystack and Petitioning The Empty Sky to later works You Fail Me, Axe To Fall, All We Love We Leave Behind, and Bloodmoon: I, the collaborative album with Chelsea Wolfe. Hum Of Hurt follows their first 2026 release, Love Is Not Enough, marking a rare instance of two full-length albums in a single year.
While Converge’s experimental approach has drawn acclaim, the band is unapologetically challenging. Critics and fans alike debate genre boundaries, from metalcore to hardcore and mathcore, yet Bannon remains focused on authenticity over classification. “Trying to define our efforts and other bands with a generic subgenre name is counterproductive,” he says, underscoring the band’s long-standing commitment to innovation.
Hum Of Hurt cements Converge’s reputation as relentless innovators in heavy music. With a North American tour alongside Poison The Well scheduled for early 2026, and the album out June 5, fans can expect a continuation of the band’s uncompromising and emotionally charged legacy.
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