Left and right, Irish singer-songwriter Hozier has been surprising his fans. He has announced tour dates, a new album called “Unreal Unearth” and a celebratory song for the fifth-year anniversary of his sophomore album “Wasteland, Baby!” Most recently, he unveiled a new EP on March 22, 2024. The EP, titled “Unheard,” is a compilation of the songs he wrote but did not release.
The four-song track list begins with “Too Sweet,” which sounds like a mix between the sadness of “Unreal Unearth” and the melancholy pursuit of “Wasteland Baby!” “Too Sweet” was spread generously over TikTok, gaining millions of people’s attention. But did it live up to people’s expectations? When most musicians release a sneak peek of their soon-to-be-released song, the snippet is of the most elaborate part, which means people may lose interest once the full song is released and less intricate parts are heard.
“I think I’ll take my whiskey neat / My coffee black and my bed at three / You’re too sweet for me”
Hozier took control of social media with his account, @hozierofficial on TikTok, alongside countless posts with the snippet of his chorus, which has a solid beat led by an electric guitar and a similar-sounding chime to that of death bells. It feels like a symbolic representation of the act of destroying a relationship. Imagine realizing your partner is too good for you and having to painfully let them go so they could be more happily fit with someone else — that’s the vibe. The song has a slow start and a repetitive rhythm that leads to the passionately written chorus; however, it feels as though the chorus really was the main attraction. The instrumentals in the background are a bit dry, which do not bring the lyrics to the brightest light.
However, the connection between “Too Sweet” and “Almost (Sweet Music)” from “Wasteland, Baby!” are almost comical. In “Almost (Sweet Music),” he sings about being in love with the rejuvenating feeling of finding oneself again after having been followed ghostly by a past relationship in a new one. But in “Too Sweet,” he surrenders this relationship because he believes he doesn’t deserve it. The contrast in time and meaning is enticing.
The second song on the track list, “Wildflower and Barley (feat. Allison Russell)” is where Hozier truly taps into his church-choir-like essence.
The song starts off slow and peaceful but picks up with the arrival of Russell’s angelic voice, mixing with Hozier’s soft, lower pitch, which creates a hypnotizing melody during the chorus.
“(The healers) This year, I swear it will be buried in actions (Are healin’) / This year, I swear it will be buried in words (The diggers are diggin’ the earth) / Some close to the surface, some close to the casket / I feel as useful as dirt, put my body to work”
These lyrics and the song title itself portray some kind of symbolic reference to the physical and emotional persistence of nature. It falls under one of Hozier’s recurring themes, the continuity and cyclic nature of mankind and romance.
The third song, “Empire Now,” sounds exactly like a mix between “Talk” from his sophomore album and “It Will Come Back” from his debut. It has a midwestern country feel to it. This would be perfect in a walk-in scene with dust blowing in the background and tumbleweeds scattered across the area. Hozier completely shattered listeners’ ears with the authentic and stumbling instrumentals in the pre-chorus, which followed his eerie voice in the beginning of the song.
“After all, darlin’, I wouldn’t sell the world / The way that things are turnin’ / If it falls, I would hold on for all it’s worth / The future’s so bright it’s burnin’”
Akin to the hair-raising half step repetition in the infamous “Jaws” soundtrack, “Empire Now” begins slowly, but aggressively. After a minute into the song, the drums themselves get carried away alongside Hozier’s singing, which is him practically yelling at his listeners to truly listen to the words he’s spewing.
The last song on the track, “Fare Well,” is upbeat and sounds much more light-hearted compared to the other songs on “Unheard” — despite its completely opposite meaning.
“Any solitary pleasure that was sorrow in disguise / Let the sun only shine on me through a fallin’ sky / I’ll be alright / Joy, disaster, come unbound here / I’ll deny me none while I’m allowed / With all things above the ground”
The lyrics reflect a struggle and search for solidarity within challenging circumstances. Coupled with the folk-influenced use of acoustic guitar, he appears to be in denial when he says, “I’ll be alright,” even though he asked to “let the sun only shine on me through a fallin’ sky.” Incredibly euphonic sounding, the song is nothing but miserably accurate of what it feels to lie to oneself as a coping mechanism.
Between Hozier’s lyrical genius, interconnected songs in completely different albums, double entendres and use of powerful instrumentals and vocals, he certainly earns a point for complexity in this review. Although “Too Sweet” may not have lived up to the strongly-held expectations that it formed, the rest of the EP was enough for listeners to fall in love with his music all over again.
Rating: 3.75/5
Featured image by Unheard Wikipedia