HEARTWORMS, GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Jojo Orme has carved out a distinctive space in London's underground post-punk scene by channeling her personal struggles and experiences into her music. Navigating the industry as an outsider, she has wrestled with self-doubt and imposter syndrome, using these emotions as a driving force behind her work. Her sound is defined by a mix of tension and release, where sharp guitar work and striking vocals meet introspective, emotionally charged lyrics. The themes in her music often mirror her own journey—battles with identity, resilience in the face of uncertainty, and the discipline it takes to push forward in a world that can feel unwelcoming. 

Under the moniker Heartworms, Orme has released Glutton for Punishment, an album that expands on her post-punk foundations with the addition of synthesizers and electronic elements. This combination creates a sound that is both brooding and expansive, layering mechanical precision with fierce emotion. Her lyrics reflect both personal and historical narratives, blending war imagery with confessional storytelling. Each track moves with a calculated intensity, reinforcing the push-and-pull dynamic between control and turmoil. It makes Glutton For Punishment a compelling listen.

LUKE SITAL-SINGH, SPRING’S FOOL

Often, at winter’s end, Mother Nature cruelly throws out false signals that spring has arrived—a brief warm spell, only to be followed by another cold stretch. Fool’s Spring. It’s a fitting metaphor for the emotional landscape Luke Sital-Singh explores on his latest album, capturing the push and pull between hope and disappointment. After uprooting his life from the UK to Los Angeles, he found himself caught in a similar cycle—the excitement of starting a new phase of life, sun filled adventures, the weight of a pandemic, and the struggle to start a family, which eventually led he and his wife back to the UK for IVF treatment. That tension—between light and dark, expectation and reality—sits at the heart of the record, making it one of his most personal yet.

Fool’s Spring builds on Sital-Singh’s introspective songwriting while reaching for something bigger. As his first self-produced album, it has a handcrafted feel, every note and texture carefully placed. The arrangements shift from sparse and delicate to full and soaring, creating an ebb and flow that mirrors the emotional currents of his lyrics. He recorded much of it himself over an extended period, layering rich instrumentation that gives the album a warmth even in its heaviest moments. And though Sital-Singh’s songs don’t shy away from doubt and longing, they carry an undeniable resilience—proof that even in the coldest seasons, spring is still out there, waiting.

 

MOTORPSYCHO, MOTORPSYCHO

Thirty-five years and over thirty albums in, Motorpsycho’s Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan and Bent Saether enter a new era as a duo, embracing full creative freedom on their epic, self-titled album. As a band enthusiast, it’s thrilling to hear Ryan and Saether deliver the full spectrum of the Motorpsycho sound—from tight pop-rock tracks to sprawling prog epics, acoustic meditations, and psychedelic explorations.Their first double album since the Gullvåg Trilogy, Motorpsycho is both a return to form and a step forward, proving that even in a leaner form, their ambition remains limitless.

More than just another entry in their vast catalog, Motorpsycho feels like a statement of intent—a reinvention that embraces the past while carving out some new ground. Across 81 minutes, Ryan and Saether sound as vital and adventurous as ever, pushing their sonic boundaries with the same restless creativity that has defined them for decades. This is Motorpsycho distilled to its purest essence—uncompromising, immersive, and utterly their own.

SHANE PENDERGAST, WINTER GRACE

Nestled beside a river on Prince Edward Island, folksinger Shane Pendergast’s home offers a view of an ever-changing landscape that continually inspires his music. Drawing from this setting, the lore of his Maritime home, and his university years performing in Toronto pubs, Pendergast crafts songs rooted in themes of community, history, and the sea. Those songs have helped Pendergast establish himself as one of Atlantic Canada’s premier folk voices.

On his third album, Winter Grace, Pendergast’s insightful storytelling is vivid and rich in imagery. Like the shifting scenery outside his window, on “Only Drifting By” he reflects on people with meaningful connections becoming strangers and the emotions that come with drifting apart: “Glances that we gave, I can not forget. Through the rosy glow, and the blue regret. Saw you in the bower, with my roving eye. Now I walk the coast, haunted by your ghost. Only drifting by.”

Blending his deep connection to Maritime and traditional folk traditions with intricate guitar work and subtle modern elements, Winter Grace stands out as a beautifully crafted album. Pendergast’s ability to weave heartfelt narratives with rich melodies results in songs that are timeless, yet infused with contemporary touches, making Winter Grace a truly memorable album.

LAMBRINI GIRLS, WHO LET THE DOGS OUT

29 minutes and 27 seconds was all it took for Lambrini Girls to win me over with their debut album, Who Let The Dogs Out. That’s also about the max I could handle before its unrelenting energy laid me out. With distorted basslines, blistering guitar riffs, and hammering drums, Phoebe Lunny and Lilly Macieira don’t just play punk—they pummel you with it. But beneath the mayhem, Lunny’s sharp, biting lyricism keeps everything focused, fusing humor and fury to take on toxic masculinity, police brutality, gentrification, and homophobia. The result is an album that’s unapologetically loud, unyielding, darkly funny, and impossible to ignore. 

LOW ROAR, HOUSE IN THE WOODS

In 2010, Ryan Karazija relocated from California to Reykjavík, Iceland. The quiet, stark landscapes of the country mirrored his introspective nature and became central to his identity as an artist, as he embraced solitude and personal discovery through his work. In 2011, he released his first new music under the name Low Roar. In time, he was joined by musicians Leifur Björnsson and Logi Guðmundsson. Over the next ten years, Low Roar released five albums. Then in 2022, Karazija passed away at age 40 from complications of pneumonia. Soon after, Björnsson and Guðmundsson made known that a sixth album had been completed before Karazija’s passing. Now, three years later, that album, House in the Woods, has been released.

It has been said that Karazija poured his soul into this album, combining minimalist indie, ambient sounds, and deeply personal lyrics. With themes of isolation, nature, and reflection, his songs offer a glimpse into Karazija’s inner world—one that I found to be poignant and moving. On the closing, title track, he sings, “And I'm beginning to drown. I'm staring death in the eyes. You were the rock that I needed. You were the tree I would climb. Now I'm a passing thought. And I'll try to survive. And I will write what I've seen. Will you read what I write? My endless love.” There’s a heavy sense of longing in Karanzija's words, echoing through the subdued, melancholic tones of the album. Released posthumously, it all feels hauntingly bittersweet—a powerful and fitting farewell.