Glutton For Punishment

“One to Watch,” according to The Guardian. A cover feature and five stars from NME. Many other glowing reviews. A haunting album cover—I’ve been known to dive into a new album solely because the artwork caught my eye… I simply had to know what was so special about this mysterious Heartworms and her debut album, Glutton for Punishment.

Josephine Orme: A Self-Made Artist

Heartworms, or Josephine Orme, is a young artist from Cheltenham. Her journey into music is that of a self-made musician. A life marked by constant conflict in the family home led her to go her own way at 14. Navigating foster care, YMCA shelters, and couch-surfing among friends, she had to grow up quickly to maintain control over her own life—all while busking to make money.

Josephine remained focused on her music, using her experiences to fuel her lyrics. She went on to study production and performance in college, aiming to become a female producer—a rarity in the industry. She soon proved her resourcefulness and creativity, earning the respect of her teachers. Around the same time, she discovered the South London post-punk scene, which deeply resonated with her. “This is me! I always knew I had a dark side, but perhaps when I was younger, I didn’t have the confidence to embrace it.”¹

A Breakthrough Moment with Dan Carey

During lockdown, she crossed paths on Instagram with producer Dan Carey (Fontaines D.C.), who was immediately impressed by the young artist. As a result, Carey featured Heartworms on his label Speedy Wunderground’s Quarantine Series. Heartworms became part of the exciting and buzzing scene around Brixton’s Windmill Pub, alongside names like Black Country, New Road. In 2023, Carey produced her first EP, A Comforting Notion, which received critical acclaim. Today, Heartworms presents us with her debut album, once again with the unwavering support of her friend and producer.

A Sound That Goes Beyond Post-Punk

Glutton for Punishment is a compelling blend of Orme’s influences. Beyond the goth and post-punk elements, traces of electronic music are woven in. Thematically, the lyrics draw their power from the artist’s past—conflict, pain—as well as from her passion for old aircraft, particularly the Spitfire. In an interview with NME, she confided:

“Every sound you hear is a feeling, and a very meaningful one; it’s not just put in willy-nilly.”²

It shows. One of the first things that struck me when listening to the album was the impressive sonic landscape she constructs, carefully layering intricate sounds.

Tracks That Stand Out on Glutton for Punishment:

The opening track, Just to Ask a Dance, sets the tone. After a brief sonic introduction, droning synths and epic low-string attacks contrast with ethereal vocals, culminating in a trance-like finale. This song, exploring the theme of unreciprocated love, was born from another. Orme first wrote Gluttons for Punishment—a delicate acoustic track—but felt she could delve deeper into the theme. The result was Just to Ask a Dance, and fittingly, the same chorus closes both the opening and closing tracks. “…Like bookends.”³

The album’s progression is carefully thought out and seamlessly executed, with no weak moments. Among its highlights, a few tracks stood out to me in particular:

• Jacked Up – Opens like a Chemical Brothers track before an obsessive guitar riff pulls us back into Heartworms’ gothic universe.
• Warplanes – A hypnotic rhythm builds into frantic guitars and bass, while the singer, backed by a choir, sounds as if she’s in a trance. A climactic moment on the album.
• Extraordinary Wings – Haunting, with chillingly repetitive lyrics: “I destroy the fallen / I don’t wish murder ’cause I got no right.”

A Stunning Debut and a Promising Future

Heartworms delivers an outstanding debut album. Dan Carey’s flawless production undoubtedly plays a role, but the raw energy, the core and soul of the music, come from the artist herself. Production can refine a vision, but it cannot create one. Josephine Orme has masterfully channeled the essence of her turbulent childhood and fast-tracked adulthood, combining her stage experience and production training to shape the unique artistry of Heartworms.

Glutton for Punishment is a debut album well worth discovering—and Heartworms, a rising artist to follow.

1. Drawn to the Dark Side: interview with Heartworms by Under The Radar ↩︎
2. Heartworms is South London’s gothic superstar in the making, interview with Heartworms – NME’s cover article ↩︎
3. A Personal Exorcism, exclusive interview with Heartworms by The Quietus ↩︎