You know that feeling when a band you’ve loved for decades drops something that makes you remember why you fell for them in the first place? That’s exactly what Converge is said to have achieved on Love Is Not Enough, their eleventh album arriving February 13th, 2026.
Let’s be real here, most bands 35 years into their career are either coasting on past glories or trying desperately to recapture lightning in a bottle. But Converge aren’t most bands. Jacob Bannon, Kurt Ballou, Nate Newton, and Ben Koller are said to have crafted something that feels both familiar and vital, like catching up with an old friend who’s been through hell but came out stronger.
The title track ‘Love Is Not Enough‘ is out now with an accompanying video, and bloody hell, it hits different. Bannon describes it as exploring “what it means to remain empathetic and compassionate in the modern world.” The track wrestles with who we are versus who we hope to be, assuming we can “fend off the scavengers.” If that doesn’t sum up existing in 2025, I don’t know what does.
What’s refreshing is there’s no guest appearances, no ProTools wizardry, no sanitised perfection. Bannon puts it perfectly: “Sometimes the perfect take is the one that has some wildness to it.” Those imperfections, that’s where the soul lives.
The album structure itself breaks from tradition. Rather than frontloading the bangers and hoping you’ll stick around, Love Is Not Enough builds momentum throughout. “It keeps ramping up,” Bannon explains, noting this approach sets it apart from their entire catalogue. Recording went down at Ballou’s God City Studios in Salem, Massachusetts, with Bannon handling the visual side, creating individual artwork for each track plus a commanding cover image showing a celestial witness watching our world burn.
For a band that gave us game-changers like 2001’s Jane Doe and the collaborative Bloodmoon: I in 2021, claiming this might be their apotheosis feels bold. But Converge have never been about playing it safe. “We still identify this band as the outlet that’s essential to our lives,” Bannon reflects. “Being past your average middle age, we’re starting to see deeper than before into a variety of places.”
Catch them live at Boston’s Saddest Day fest on December 13th alongside Touché Amoré, Coalesce, The Hope Conspiracy, Full of Hell, and Soul Glo. UK and European fans, mark your calendars: June 25th 2026 at Jera on Air in the Netherlands and June 27th 2026 at Manchester’s Outbreak Festival.
Pre-orders for Love Is Not Enough are live now. After 35 years, Converge aren’t just still standing. They’re proving why they’ve been essential all along.
