The Hum Goes on Forever

The band originally planned to begin writing their next album after the conclusion of their 2020 tour, but the COVID-19 pandemic meant that they did not see each other for several months. They struggled to write virtually, and the record was not created until the band quarantined in a Pennsylvania farmhouse for a week.^[1] Many songs on The Hum Goes On Forever reference previous tracks from the Wonder Years' discography: the protagonist of "Oldest Daughter" is named after the titular character in "Madelyn" from The Greatest Generation, while "Cardinals II" is a sequel to the track on No Closer to Heaven.^[2]

Steve Evetts, who frequently collaborated with the Wonder Years, produced most of the album, while Will Yip also produced certain tracks, which were initially intended for a standalone EP preceding the album. During production, the band decided to combine the results of both sessions.^[3][2] The recording took place at The Omen Room, Studio 606 and Studio 4.^[4]

On April 21, 2022, the Wonder Years released "Oldest Daughter", their first single since Sister Cities was released four years prior to that and the lead single for a then-untitled album.^[5] On May 19, they released "Summer Clothes" as a follow-up single.^[6] On June 22, the band announced that The Hum Goes on Forever would be released on September 23 through Hopeless Records. Accompanying the album announcement, which included cover art and a track listing, they released the single "Wyatt's Song (Your Name)".^[7]

In October 2022, the Wonder Years headlined a small East Coast tour to promote The Hum Goes On Forever. They were supported by Fireworks and Macseal.^[8]

The Hum Goes on Forever was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 80, based on 4 reviews.^[9]