Perhaps the most complete realisation of her sound to date, 'Warplane' sets the tone for 2025's 'Glutton for Punishment'.
Photo: Gilbert Trejo | Words: Lloyd Bolton
Heartworms has made a name for herself as one of the most original voices reimagining post-punk for the twenty-first century, emerging out of the Windmill scene as a close collaborator with Speedy Wunderground's Dan Carey. Her music has often revolved around imagery and stories of the Second World War, her self-confessed obsession, so it feels appropriate that the announcement of her debut album is made with new single 'Warplane', which returns to this specialist subject.
This single could well be the most complete realisation of the Heartworms vision to date. Inspired by Spitfire dogfights, the story makes for the perfect backdrop for the danceable motorik signature of Dan Carey productions, and the visceral intensity Heartworms always creates. Synths roar like planes peeling into tailspin, while breathy vocals infuse the scene with human tension. The chorus again emphasises the human, overlaying the mechanical artifice of the music with a choral chant hailing the airplanes. Along with older influences like Krautrock and Martin Hannett productions, this also feels like an evolution of the more recent work of the likes of Jane Weaver, particularly in her Silver Globe period. Beyond these touchpoints, however, the song then throws up a final twist of originality at the point our story concludes with the terminal descent of its protagonist's plane. After chugging along so steadily, this comes abruptly, like an engine cutting, and we are left with the eerie sound that is at once sublime and mechanical, communicating the imagined spitfire falling, "like an angel losing its extraordinary wings".
With the new completeness and formal originality presented here, we can only hope that 'Glutton For Punishment' lives up to this standard across its nine tracks. The album, releasing on Speedy Wunderground, arrives on 7th February next year.
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