You'd Prefer an Astronaut

You'd Prefer an Astronaut is the third studio album by Hum and their major label debut, released on April 11, 1995 on RCA Records.^[1] It was recorded in 1994 and 1995 mainly at Playground studio in Chicago, with Keith Cleversley producing alongside the band, and features Matt Talbott on guitar and vocals, Tim Lash on guitar, Jeff Dimpsey on bass and Bryan St. Pere on drums.^[1]

The album produced three singles, "Stars", "The Pod" and "I'd Like Your Hair Long", and sold more than 250,000 copies, mostly on the strength of "Stars", which reached number eleven on the Modern Rock chart.^[1] Critics later placed it among the earliest American shoegaze records,^[6] and Deftones singer Chino Moreno has cited it as a tonal influence.^[1] It was reissued on vinyl in late 2023.^[4]