Heartworms - Glutton For Punishment (Album Review)
Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Written by James Palaczky
Photo: Gilbert Trejo
Some artists struggle to cement their aims on their debut, but Heartworms’ Jojo Orme isn’t one of them. It might not always hang together perfectly as a whole, but ‘Glutton for Punishment’ is a gothic indie-pop statement of intent — if Edgar Allan Poe had a Telecaster and a drum machine at his disposal, one can imagine the results would not be too dissimilar.
Emerging from the Speedy Wunderground stable and produced by label head Dan Carey, this is a record delivered with confidence and bravado, its songs filled to the brim with purpose and styled as a palette of atmospheric epics. From the rhythmic drumbeat of Extraordinary Wings to the commanding-yet-elegant guitar riffs of Jacked, in its best moments it’s beautifully executed and meticulously crafted, with each purposeful shift creating unnerving tension that leaves the listener cautiously looking over their shoulder.
But its deliberate, formulaic approach is also its undoing. In grandiose tracks such as album highlight Warplane, the gradual build to an atmospheric, herculean crescendo works beautifully.
On the other hand, Celebrate fumbles the same dynamic in falling back on repetitive lyrics and melodies, with Orme offering a sonic explosion at the end to compensate — it’s not worth the effort to get there.
Smuggler’s Adventure is another to follow a similar structure, displaying a reluctance to experiment with a different approach, and the major casualty is the flow of the record as a whole. Over time it stagnates and beyond this overreliance on the same stylistic tics there isn’t any through-line to pull the album together.
In reality, this is the gamble tied up in pursuing something so outwardly gothic. For the casually interested, any album of this ilk runs the risk of alienation by being too slow or dreary. It is up to the artist to find a point of difference, which Orme is able to do thrillingly on Warplane, using her fascination with Spitfires as a jumping off point for a modern pop track destined for the dance floor.
By leaning into unique inspirations such as this while simultaneously dipping her toes into complementary genres, Orme offers anthems for the goth community to sink their teeth into. When she excels, she touches on something brilliant. But, at other times, she pulls a thread on the tapestry she has otherwise woven so skilfully.
Heartworms Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed February 12 2025 - SOUTHAMPTON Joiners
Thu February 13 2025 - LONDON Electric Ballroom
Fri February 14 2025 - MANCHESTER White Hotel
Sat February 15 2025 - LEEDS Headrow House
Sun February 16 2025 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Cluny
Tue February 18 2025 - GLASGOW King Tuts
Wed February 19 2025 - EDINBURGH Cabaret Voltaire
Fri February 21 2025 - NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
Sat February 22 2025 - BRISTOL Thekla
Sun February 23 2025 - BIRMINGHAM Hare & Hounds
Tue February 25 2025 - BRIGHTON Concorde 2
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