Heartworms Glutton for Punishment
Released Feb 7, 2025 Speedy Wunderground / [PIAS]
Established consensus 9 professional reviews Updated Aug 27, 2026
Strong critical consensus
Heartworms's Glutton for Punishment condenses post-punk ambition into nine razor-sharp songs that trade excess for precision, and the critical consensus suggests it succeeds with striking clarity.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Extraordinary Wings
1 critic mention
“Using a choir to fill out the long outro line, "I don’t wish murder ’cause I got no right," while Orme deploys her full range to dart and soar over the top is chillingly effective” — PopMatters
Jacked
1 critic mention
“The beat on “Jacked” whips the air in dry circles before one of the best lead guitar riffs of the past few years” — PopMatters
In The Beginning
1 critic mention
“Take the single click and ambient rumble of the opener, “In the Beginning”: it’s a red herring, a pause for gentility” — PopMatters
Full critic consensus
Heartworms's Glutton for Punishment condenses post-punk ambition into nine razor-sharp songs that trade excess for precision, and the critical consensus suggests it succeeds with striking clarity. Across nine professional reviews the record earned an 87.22/100 consensus score, with critics repeatedly praising the band’s control of diction and vocal nuance and the album’s concise form. Reviewers note how tight arrangements and exacting production turn short runtimes into strengths rather than limits.
Critics consistently single out standout tracks as evidence of the album’s craft, with “Jacked” and “Extraordinary Wings” emerging as the most discussed highlights for muscular riffs and pristine vocal work. Other songs such as “In The Beginning”, “Mad Catch” and “Celebrate” populate a sequence that reviewers say never overextends, reinforcing themes of precision, economy and a purposeful expansion of post-punk textures. Professional reviews commend the record’s ability to balance immediacy with detail, rewarding repeated listens with small revelations in arrangement and performance.
While praise centers on the band’s technical control and concise album form, critics also frame Glutton for Punishment as a deliberate reimagining of post-punk rather than a wholesale reinvention, making it both a focused artistic statement and a high point in Heartworms’ catalog. For readers searching for a verdict on whether Glutton for Punishment is worth listening to, the consensus score across nine reviews positions it as a carefully crafted, highly recommended collection whose best songs - particularly “Jacked” and “Extraordinary Wings” - justify repeated plays.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
In The Beginning
Just To Ask A Dance
Jacked
Mad Catch
Extraordinary Wings
Warplane
Celebrate
Smugglers Adventure
Glutton For Punishment
Get the next albums worth your time.
Critic-backed picks in one clean digest. No clutter.
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 9 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
On Glutton For Punishment, Heartworms delivers nine immaculate songs that prove brevity can equal potency, with “Jacked” and “Extraordinary Wings” standing out as the best tracks on Glutton For Punishment for their muscular riffs and chilling vocal stretch. Soulsby writes in that celebratory, exacting tone that admires songs she suspects were ground to their perfect length - the beat and lead-guitar slash of “Jacked” is singled out as one of the best songs here, while “Extraordinary Wings” is praised for pristine, unadorned vocal craft. The record’s coherence and lack of filler make the best songs feel inevitable rather than assembled, a precision-cut diamond of the highest quality. This is an album built from tight switches and feints, where the best tracks reward close listening and repeat plays.
Key Points
-
“Jacked” is the best song for its whip-like beat and one of the best recent lead guitar riffs.
-
The album’s core strength is its concise, precision-cut sequencing where every song earns its place.
Themes
mu
