Adult Jazz: “Earth of Worms” — When Perfection Gets in the Way of Songwriting

In this episode of The Hardest Part, host Kieron Banerji is joined by Adult Jazz to unpack the long and winding process behind “Earth of Worms,” one of the most technically complex and emotionally unruly songs on their album So Sorry So Slow.

The song had been in progress for nearly seven years, and at one point, it was too clean—too correct. The band talks openly about how chasing technical polish nearly stripped the track of its emotional weight, and how they had to unlearn their habits in order to start again. The final version was built by embracing instinct, letting the form collapse, and trusting that songwriting didn’t need to be perfect to be meaningful.

We talk about:

• Why they scrapped the original version after years of demos

• How harmony, rhythm, and “bad piano playing” helped reanimate the track

• What it means to write a song that’s falling apart by design

• How process panic, musical overthinking, and care can sometimes clash

• And why “Earth of Worms” had to be messy to make sense

The episode ends with an exclusive stripped-back live performance of “Earth of Worms.”

Artist: Adult Jazz
Song: “Earth of Worms”
Album: So Sorry So Slow

Host and Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji

Recording Engineers: Max Walker & Chris Goldsmith
Creative Team: Callum Baker (Photography), Giovanni Almonte (Videography)
Recording Location: Thin White Duke Studios, London.

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