Humdrum

Songwriter and vocalist Loren Vanderbilt leads the Chicago group Humdrum, whose reflective and contemplative tracks deliver brisk momentum instead of inertia, channeling the forward thrust of prominent 1990s shoegaze outfits and the ethereal spark of R.E.M.’s earliest work. After issuing several singles, Humdrum joined forces with the storied indie pop imprint Slumberland Records to issue their first full-length album, Every Heaven, in 2024.

Vanderbilt had previously performed in the tuneful, atmospheric outfit Star Tropics, which dissolved in the early 2020s. During that period he also began recording solo demos that probed dream pop, shoegaze, and jangle rock textures within a private context. These immersions in retro sonics served as a refuge amid challenging personal circumstances, eventually yielding striking new compositions that formed the initial output of his project Humdrum. The debut single “Wave Goodbye” appeared in 2021, with “Superbloom” arriving the following year. By 2024 the project had expanded into a complete band performing locally throughout the Chicago region, and it released the Slumberland album Every Heaven.