by Giliann Karon (@whoreby_parker)
London-based Jojo Orme, who performs as Heartworms, brandishes her countless tricks and techniques on her inaugural EP A Comforting Notion. In just under seventeen minutes, she gives goth and post-punk a facelift with futuristic synths, weighty downbeats, and mysterious swells. Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey (Fontaines DC, Black Midi) waves his magic wand over four sleek tracks that carve out Heartworms’ space in a scene with an impossibly high barrier to entry.
Heartworms effortlessly fuses together the disaffected and gut-wrenching sensibilities of the artists she rubs elbows with. She straddles wiry vocals with fuzzy production in a crowd that often opts for one over the other. Scratch the surface of her icy persona and a vengeant woman bleeds. Each track feels just as vulnerable as it is distant, only enhancing her mysterious, sunglasses-clad onstage persona. Her anxious vocals and rushed percussion dominate the thrilling opener, “Consistent Dedication.” She cautiously beckons the listener in with breathy whispers, grounded by brisk percussion.
“Retributions of an Awful Life” modernizes talk-singing with futuristic textures. Her taut voice grips each refrain until it becomes a cryptic mantra. A nod to the dark, ethereal aesthetics she pulls from, “A Comforting Notion” is equal parts hazy and cathartic. She takes a break from shouting and slows her voice to a sludgy crawl. Her expansive range shows she’s fully in control, a response to the grisly sentiments that inspire her work.
Closer “24 Hours” continues to draw inspiration from The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and other prolific acts. While the influences are easily identifiable, her work is uniquely her own. Perhaps Heartworms is too deviant to reach post-punk critical mass like labelmates The Lounge Society and Honeyglaze, but that only makes her more esoteric and alluring. Worst case scenario, you can say you knew her before she was cool.