Jet-black music that bursts into vivid colour...
06 · 02 · 2025
It’s easy to mistake the stark black-and-white cover art of 'Glutton For Punishment' for a collection that features a more intense or darker style of music than it actually does. The provocative title calls to mind the industrial genre’s aesthetic fixation on BDSM imagery, reminiscent of phrases used by Depeche Mode or Nine Inch Nails in the mid-1990s.
While 'Glutton For Punishment' is painted in dark tones, its fusion of electro, industrial, and post-punk creates an impressively lively and genuinely enjoyable listening experience. The album is filled with energetic rhythms and powerful choruses that lodge themselves in your mind after winning over your heart. On her remarkable debut, Heartworms (real name: Jojo Orme) demonstrates an apparent ease in crafting jet-black music that bursts into vibrant colour throughout your mind.
Produced by the sought-after Dan Carey (Fontaines D.C., Squid, Wet Leg), 'Glutton For Punishment' is a true auteuristic collection—nine tracks that explore and dissect the creators' numerous aesthetic and psychological fascinations. Alongside the goth-infused genre-blending, Orme's interest in military history surfaces in the striking tracks 'Warplane' and 'Extraordinary Wings', while reflections on a complicated relationship with her mother are evident in the captivating 'Smuggler’s Adventure'.
Yet, despite the intriguing and mysterious lyrics, it’s Orme’s musical abilities that truly shine. No two songs on 'Glutton For Punishment' sound the same, but they are united by Heartworms’ commitment to ambitiously balancing various tones. A song like ‘Jacked’, with its dark techno synths, or ‘Mad Catch’ featuring its odd, sharp lead guitars, flirt with harshness, yet are combined with such robust, impactful vocal melodies and danceable beats that they consistently emerge as compelling, unique goth pop hits.
The only minor critique is that occasionally Heartworms’ style edges a bit too close to nostalgic eighties post-punk homage; for instance, with the guitars and drum machines in ‘Celebrate’. Aside from this small issue, this is an impressive debut from an artist who exhibits complete mastery of her craft, particularly for its graceful integration of eccentric, occasionally jarring elements into its openly pop vision.
8/10
Words: Luke Morgan
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You would be excused for looking at the bold, black-and-white visuals of ‘Glutton For Punishment’ and thinking it features a significantly more gruesome or sinister array of