Unheard EP

Hozier

By Marie Ronnander

Hozier wrote his third album, “Unreal Unearth,” beneath the shivering isolation of COVID-19. Keeping true to his blues roots, he howls, hums, and hollers an eclectic mix of guitar twangs and booming baselines. The original track outlines the nine circles of Hell from Dante’s “Inferno” with epic extended metaphors covering everything from language loss to heavenly lust.

Unheard is the four-song EP to this last album. Each song nestles into its own realm of hell: “Too Sweet” falling under gluttony, “Wildflower and Barley” as limbo, “Empire Now” as violence, and “Fare Well” as the ascent from darkness. They’re fringe songs that escape the boundaries of an album; each of them casting a vastly different light on Hozier's musical ability.

The first song, “Too Sweet” is a clever, fast-paced romance entrenching our senses with the bitter tastes of coffee, the acrid smell of smoke, and the vast depths of an Irish lake. “Wildflower and Barley” is a slowed folk ballad that begs for a future outside of the confinement of a pandemic. Taking a sharp turn, “Empire Now” is the fiery hope that today’s martyrs will catalyze a better future. Lastly, “Fare Well” is the gentle, wise warning to those who find pleasure in masochism.

Hozier is a master of wading through unknown waters. His albums pull deep emotions into tangles of soul, blues, and indie. Unheard is an exaltation of songs that could’ve been lost to history, and their story telling is as masterful as any song off of the mother album