After four years of radio silence punctuated by the occasional single and the “Eat Your Young” EP, Hozier has returned with his newest album, “Unreal Unearth.” And it was well worth the wait. The album delivers on all fronts, with emotional pieces, diverse songwriting, instrumental styles and lyrical genius, all strung together under the common theme of *Dante’s Inferno, taking the listener on a musical journey through the circles of hell.
The descent begins with “De Selby (Part 1),” beginning the album on a somber note, asking questions of God before shifting into an outro spoken in the traditional Irish language. This quiet somberness is short-lived though, as it quickly shifts into “De Selby (Part 2),” which is much heavier and more rock-infused, with a prominent bass line carrying the song’s fast tempo and dark mood.
However, the album is not all doom and gloom. Even with the grim source material, songs like “First Light” and “I, Carrion (Icarian)” feel more akin to Hozier’s trademark poetic love songs. The former explains that the narrator did not know he could be that happy until he met someone he loves, and he basks in the feeling of pure elation that he could start every day next to that person. The latter explains the recklessness of falling in love, likening himself to *Icarus in that he might be flying too close to the sun with the person he’s fallen for, but he does not care so long as he does not fall too far from the one he loves.
Others though are much more politically charged. For example, the hit single of the spring “Eat Your Young” has a strong anti-war theme, explaining how people “put food on the table selling bombs and guns.” Furthermore, the title references a satirical essay from 1729 by Johnathan Swift, which stated that rather than letting impoverished children be a burden to society, they should be eaten. It was meant to be a dig at the British government’s seeming inability to aid the impoverished Irish, many of whom were starving to death.
However, this is not the only song that calls out the British government on the album. “Butchered Tongue” explains the attempted brutal massacre of Irish culture. He references intimidation and torture tactics inflicted upon many native Irish under British occupation in rebellions and other historical events, in which many young men had their ears cut off and many citizens were killed in order to diminish Irish culture and bring about submission to the government and British culture. However, the song celebrates that even though Irish is not as commonly spoken as a language and was somewhat butchered, it still exists, and is still spoken throughout the country.
But, the true shining star of the album is the instrumental diversity presented throughout all of the songs. Some, like “All Things End,” carry a gospel-infused rhythm and backup vocals. Others, like “Francesca” and “First Time” are loud and emotional. Still others like “Anything But” and “Damage Gets Done (feat. Brandi Carlile)” are a bit more upbeat and lighter in tone and mood.
Another standout is the instrumental piece placed in the middle of the album, “Son of Nyx.” It begins with dark, moody piano notes over rainy static sounds and what sounds like a ticking clock. Soon enough though, orchestral elements are slowly added in, alongside haunting vocalizations from a female singer, giving it an overall extremely eerie feeling. But, this pauses, and quickly gives way to a full-blown orchestra, with male and female vocalizations added in, giving the piece an extremely dreamlike quality. Towards the end of the song, it becomes flooded with vocalization, as if the souls of the explored inferno itself are speaking.
After four years of waiting for another album, Hozier has proven once again that he values quality over quantity, which is present in “Unreal Unearth.” Every song on the album is an absolute masterpiece, and the Irish folk-R&B artist’s fans are eager to listen and eager to see what comes next.
