On their second album of 2026, Converge reimagines an enigmatic real-world phenomenon as a physical manifestation of human suffering. On their second album of 2026, Converge reimagines an enigmatic real-world phenomenon as a physical manifestation of human suffering. The Hum is a persistent low-pitched noise that can be heard in Taos, New Mexico, Auckland, New Zealand, and Ipswich, Massachusetts—right next door to the band’s hometown of Salem—among other places. Nobody knows where it comes from, but Converge asks the question: “What if the Hum is the sound of our collective pain?” Such is the foundation of Hum of Hurt. Musically, Converge unfurls a raw, emotional hardcore record that plays counterpoint to their more metallic 2026 release, Love is Not Enough. “Doom in Bloom” is a jagged shard of noise rock in which vocalist/lyricist Jake Bannon points out how introspection can often be futile. “Dream Debris” builds on a tribal cannonade by drummer Ben Koller and extended bass run by Nate Newton into a doom-ridden catharsis as Bannon acknowledges a powerful truth: There’s nothing to win if there’s no one to lose. The instrumental “It Used to Matter” sees guitarist/producer Kurt Ballou conjuring an ominous twang to set the stage for the high-wire tension of the title track, “Hum of Hurt.” The album also includes a new recording of “I Won’t Let You Go,” the original version of which appeared on the video game Cyberpunk 2077.