The follow-up to her acclaimed 2023 EP A Comforting Notion, Glutton For Punishment (out 7 February) reveals Orme as a talented stylist and cutting lyricist, the 26-year-old musician deftly weaving stories about her childhood and her fractured relationship with her mother with the images of war and human suffering that have captivated and shocked her since she was young. Produced by Dan Carey (Wet Leg, Fontaines DC) and released on his Speedy Wunderground label, Glutton For Punishment taps into a lineage of gothic pop songwriting and production that includes PJ Harvey, Anna Calvi and Zola Jesus, while retaining Orme’s own skewiff, idiosyncratic sensibility. Recent singles were added to the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist following support from Chris Hawkins, Steve Lamacq, Lauren Laverne, and Tom Ravenscroft at the station. The singles also grabbed spot plays from Radio X’s John Kennedy, BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders and Gemma Bradley, and Apple Music 1’s Matt Wilkinson. Backed by a full live band, Heartworms’ performances are a masterclass in poise; she describes the theatre brought to each show – usually punctuated by her intense stare – as a kick back against preconceived notions of ‘smallness’ and fragility as a female musician. On stage, Heartworms’ projection is the very antithesis: we see an artist who is big, powerful, in total control. Heartworms played her biggest headline show to date at a sold – out Village Underground on 21 November 2023.