For a band that hadn’t released a proper studio album in nine years, we’ve definitely been spoiled by Converge as they release their second album in the space of four months. ‘Hum of Heart’ comes off the back of ‘Love Is Not Enough,’ which was released in mid-February. As a band with a heralded reputation within hardcore, it’s no surprise that their return was welcomed with open arms, meeting the high bar set by a discography that includes ‘Jane Doe’ and ‘All We Love We Leave Behind’. Its follow-up, ‘Hum of Heart,’ isn’t a sequel, and it’s certainly not a collection of throwaway leftovers. It is its own entity, proving to be volatile and as emotionally raw. Centred on the concept of “The Hum,” a persistent low-noise that can cause psychological distress. It sees the quartet reimagine it as a physical form of human suffering.
They dive straight in with ‘Slip The Noose’ as Kurt Ballou’s staccato riff complements Jacob Bannon’s barking vocals. As he repeatedly shouts “consuming me, protecting you,” he builds the conceptualised tension between protection and self-destruction. Next, ‘Doom In Bloom’ is a bloodstained onslaught with groovy, riveting guitars, Nate Newton’s throbbing bass line, and Ben Koller being the drumming powerhouse that he is. Bannon’s words are claustrophobic and defeatist, burdened by the unseen persistence of the hum.
Throughout, Bannon creates a forlorn, despairing narrative rooted in lived, rather than performed, anguish. For example, ‘Detonator’ comes off as defeatiest (“sometimes the agony is just too much / I do not want to hurt”) as he avoids being weighed down by the psychological burden. Musically, it bubbles with intensity as stabbing guitars and Koller’s pumping bass drum build to its emotional release. Bannon’s optimistic mindset appears on ‘I Won’t Let You’. He wants to be better, yet lives in fear of vulnerability. When paired with ‘It’s Not Up To Us,’ it musically creates a muscular and ferocious moment, led by Koller. It’s also here where Converge‘s sonic expanse feeds in, atmospheric guitars and ringing synth keys tease something otherworldly.
This is considerably paid off on the album centrepiece, ‘Dream Debris’. Taking up six minutes of the record’s 34-minute run-time, each member gets their moment to shine, all the while building the tension. Most notably, Newton’s rumbling bass pulsates before Koller and Ballou come in. Whereas Bannon’s autobiographical delivery is dissonant, tucked underneath the rhymic thickness. When the weight of its buildup gives way, it’s a metallic and sludgy payoff.
As ‘Hum of Heart’ heads into its final phase, the previous tease of a wide sonic scope pays off. Instrumental cut, ‘It Used To Matter’ swoons in with mystic quality, taking Converge into prog territory before their battered spaceship crash lands into the title track. Rugged, relentless, and drenched in feedback, it’s a chugging onslaught and emotional release. Koller’s kinetic effort battles Bannon’s throaty growls and Ballou’s ringing guitars in its mid-section.
Closing track, ‘Nothing Is Over’ brings an outward conclusion to Bannon’s narrative. While on the title track, he shows acceptance (“I’m not the man I wanted to be”), but his mindset becomes resistant on the final track. Biting with “get up now, nothing’s over,” Bannon uses the internal trauma, despair, and disillusionment the preceding songs provided to fuel a politically-charged conclusion. Ultimately, “The Hum” becomes accepted and used to express rage.
If Converge have shown anything on ‘Hum of Heart,’ as well as ‘Love Is Not Enough,’ is that despite all their years of experience, they have not wavered from producing punishingly heavy music that is cathartic. On its own, ‘Hum of Heart’ can consume you, albeit not immediately. However, the dynamism and muscular execution from the personnel involved is, at times, extraordinary. In short, it’s another superb addition to a legacy that, remarkably, shows no sign of diminishing.
‘Hum of Heart’ by Converge is released on June 5th on Deathwish / Epitaph.
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