Hum

Hum is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed by guitarist Matt Talbot and his friends in 1989, Hum chose their name as an intentionally vague description of their sound. They gained underground popularity in their hometown and soon recorded a demo with producer Steve Albini. The demo, titled Kissing Me is Like Kissing an Angel, was passed around and earned the band acclaim in Champaign’s growing post-hardcore/emo scene.

Hum released their first album, Fillet Show, in 1991. The Champaign scene allowed the album to be spread across the Midwest via various indie labels. Hum returned to the studio in 1993 to record their second album, Electra 2000. While their first album was more aggressive and noisy, Electra 2000 featured a more distant, dreary sound, influenced by Shoegazing bands like My Bloody Valentine. Hum took this sound to its fullest on their most commercially successful album, You’d Prefer an Astronaut in 1995. The single Stars became a radio hit after appearing in the MTV show Beavis and Butt-Head. Hum released their final studio album, Downward is Heavenward in 1998. The album did not sell as well as the previous one, and Hum broke up soon after.

The band has reunited for shows sporadically since 2000, and permanently reunited in 2015 to begin working on their next album.