Glutton For Punishment revels in the Twilight Zone. While Heartworms’ 2023 A Conforming Notion set the North London brooder up as the next big post-punk hit, her debut is proof that her jet-black charm isn’t merely bound to the sounds of the gothic underground; with its gloom-addled whirs and liminal synthetics, this debut unfolds like a hex, channelling the wrath of a witch coven into tar-smeared indie-rock, darkwave and even heart-on-sleeve acoustic twanging. It’s diverse, poignant and, above all, a total stunner.
Right from the get-go, Heartworms plunges you into the depths of her macabre world. ‘In The Beginning’s’ airy, eerily quiet drawl transports you somewhere vulnerable – like the dark, desolate depths of a remote forest – all before ‘Just To Ask A Dance’ springs to life, a clash of hypnotic strings and building synths eventually transforming into a misty confession of passion. It’s a love letter disguised as a curse, Jojo Orme’s dynamic vocals shifting between dark mutterings and Kate Bush-esque inflections.
While each track is able to muster its own unique sonic world, Orme’s vocal ability is the true cherry on top. Indie-rock-tinged ‘Mad Catch’ shows her more playful side, Orme practically rolling her eyes as she unleashes a charismatic sprechgesang performance. ‘Jacked’ sinks you into the gritty, sensual world of an 80s noir goth club; its fluctuating synthetics and riffs ooze lust, bodies, sweat, with Orme’s brooding performance only amping up the sultry experience. Stand-out ‘Warplane’ serves up a spine-chilling gothic war charge, synths thrumming as militant, witchy choral vocals soar, terrifyingly howling with wrath.
However, at its core, the record’s primary focus is humanity’s ‘Glutton For Punishment’. Heartworms’ dynamic journey is an attempt to tackle humanity’s perverse fascination with self-punishment – and, through an eclectic range of sounds, she tackles it from just about every angle. From ‘Celebrate’s’ twinkling sonics, to ‘Smuggler’s Adventure’s’ gentle 6-minute slew, languishing as each element melts into the next, every distinctive soundscape peels a layer back.
It’s a process that leaves Orme fully raw and exposed by the closing title-track. It strips back the gothic brooding, the sarcasm, the doomy persona, instead serving up an excellent dose of bewitching acoustic indie musing; the heart-on-sleeve confessional shows Orme in a new light, her rawest form forced to take centre-stage. As she croons about melancholic masturbation and rotting in bed, delving into self-pity, purpose and the pains of love, it’s a true peek behind the veil – all before scampering back off into the void.
Despite initially gaining traction for her danceable brand of gothic post-punk, Glutton For Punishment proves that there’s a lot more to Heartworms than meets the eye. The record is a bold sonic shrine built in the name of masochism, fusing indie, alt-pop and inky-black post-punk in the hopes of finding some meaning beyond the pessimism of daily life. It’s a rock-solid debut – and a sign of even more magnificent things to come.
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