ALBUM REVIEW: HMLTD – The Worm

Lucky Number

Released: 07.04.23

HMLTD’s art punk debut West of Eden is one of my favourite albums of 2020, and the band’s jazz-infused art rock sophomore album, The Worm, keeps both the best elements and expands their sound to unimaginable heights.

Taking 47 musicians to compose, HMLTD fully realises a fictional medieval/sci-fi battlefield as a backdrop for a beautiful narrative in which our narrator is locked in a battle with his own narcissism. The dynamics of the instrumentation of The Worm is truly impressive, leading to a transcendental experience. The album finds new ways to captivate the listener, from the intimate keys of Days to the kinetic and obtuse sounds of Wyrmlands, and the triumphant electric guitar shredding ending of Lay Me Down.