“Visceral, white-knuckle songs - equal parts schoolchild-reciting-poetry and wailing, guttural assault - recalls Interpol and early PJ Harvey” - The Sunday Times

Heartworms (aka Jojo Orme) refuses to be boxed in. On Glutton For Punishment, the London-based artist pushes beyond the post-punk tag she was initially saddled with, weaving together the gothic drive of Depeche Mode, the biting lyrical edge of PJ Harvey, and the restless rhythms of LCD Soundsystem. Produced by longtime collaborator Dan Carey, the album is a bold statement of intent, both musically and thematically.

“With my EP, people kind of pigeonholed me into post-punk,” Heartworms says. “I was like, ‘Cool, I can do that, but I can also do way more.’” True to her word, Glutton For Punishment balances brooding intensity with unexpected moments of catchiness, broadening her musical scope while retaining the sharp, dark energy that first set her apart.

The album’s lead single, “Warplane,” is a blistering display of Heartworms’ ability to merge personal obsession with cinematic storytelling. A deeply evocative track that captures the chaos of aerial combat, the song is steeped in her fascination with military history. “The opening lyrics set the scene of a dogfight in the air while civilians are witnessing it take shape,” she explains. Dedicated to Spitfire pilot William Gibson Gordon, who was killed in action at 20, the track ends with a sound that, to Heartworms, mirrors a downed fighter’s final descent - “like an angel losing its extraordinary wings.”

That sense of weight, of reckoning with history, both personal and collective, runs through the album. “I’ve been chastised my whole life; made to feel as if I didn’t belong, punished for not fitting into a perfect image of how a growing woman should be,” she says. The title Glutton For Punishment reflects the push and pull of that experience, the uneasy cycle of craving structure while resisting the forces that impose it.

Visually, Heartworms leans into that struggle, collaborating with blacksmith Gus Baldwin to create the “Brutal Bridle,” a modern take on the scold’s bridle, a medieval device used to silence women. Worn in album imagery and videos, it reinforces the album’s themes of restraint and defiance.

Heartworms’ debut EP, 2023's A Comforting Notion, was a critical breakthrough, earning praise from The Sunday Times, NME, The Quietus, and others. BBC Radio 6 Music championed its singles, and she soon found herself opening for the likes of the Kills, St. Vincent, and Jack White.

“It is this sense of rhythm that sets Heartworms apart from a British scene that has felt a little stale in recent times… Heartworms is moving things forward.” - The FADER