Hozier - Unaired
There are painters, poets, and singer-songwriters alike that are just ageless; their pieces and creations alone make their imprint everywhere, all the time. Through the genres and scenes of creativity, they pave the way for artists decades later, or just make a mark in one’s life with experiences that they won’t forget.
Ella Fitzgerald, Howlin' Wolf, and Led Zeppelin are masterpieces in the genres of rock & roll, a bit of folk, and blues/soul. What if someone sought to write original music by drawing inspiration from artists like those mentioned?
We’re met with Hozier, whose full name is Andrew John Hozier-Byrne. An Irish singer-songwriter who utilizes songs to discuss religion, traditional literature, world conflict, and love, too. Born and raised in Bray, Ireland, his accent often shines through in his compositions. Along with his position as a bank teller, his father was also a jazz and blues drummer, while his mother was a stay-at-home musician.
Beginning to create songs at the age of 15, acquiring the skill of guitar playing, and taking part in the school choir, Hozier began his journey to become the artist he has become. After a few years, his work of Take Me To Church, which was recorded almost entirely in his parent’s attic in Wicklow, Ireland, reached the Billboard 200 in 2013. Since then, Hozier has been an influential figure in folk and blues-rock genre music.
As of late, following the attention and praise for Unreal Unearth: Unheard, Hozier presented Unaired.
Nobody’s Soldier unlocks the gates to the 3-track EP. After teasing for a few weeks, announcing an EP on July 30, followed by posting a snippet of Nobody’s Soldier, then debuting it live at Lollapalooza on August 2nd paired with a speech, the anticipation the fans built for this EP was fulfilled as it was released on August 16, 2024.
A guitar that sounds as if it’s a quartet of horns and a pulsing drum beat greets us into the song, accompanied by Hozier’s smooth voice. The line "I don't want to choose between being a salesman or a soldier" might seem to be referring to not wanting to choose between two atrocities. We then hear the lyric, "Choose between being a butcher or a pauper." It's as if it's a story about refusing to choose between violence and compliance. Hozier sings, “Sick to my skin, watching the news again.” It references the rage and heartbreak of watching global events unfold, whether in the moment or in the past, but particularly could allude to war and loss, politics, or other ruinous events where people feel more like bystanders than participants. All in all, everyone can interpret lyrics in equally diverse ways. It's known that Hozier's poetry and instrumentation skills are out of this world, and this tune certainly presents an outstanding example—Nobody's Soldier is a masterpiece, and it’s an exhilarating and electrifying listen.
July is a delightful, serene song; a shift in feeling from the last track. It starts as a sweet piano piece that’s complimented by a tinge of string instruments in the background. With a beat of a drum and a hit of a cymbal, we hear the appealing voice of Hozier. The instrumental portions of this track fit together like pieces of a puzzle, snug and well. It feels like a hopeful scene, focusing on clearing bad times to bring in the good ones. “But you arrived like sunlight in the gloom and burned off the haze when the year was still new," is presented to us. We all experience difficult moments from time to time when we're overcome with hopelessness or are trying to find some light in the shadows. Other than Hozier's layered vocals and gentle bass plucking, the outro is composed of instruments that fade through and out and wish us well to the following song.
That You Are is a collaborative piece between Hozier and Bedouine. Originating from Aleppo, Syria, Bedouine has a 60’s folk meets 70’s country funk with light guitar picking and precise lyricism. The guitar in this song reminds me of a ballad over a bonfire, and the opening part of the song makes me think of the wind wading through the pine trees on a dewy morning.
If you listen attentively, you may hear a subtle, mellotronic-like sound that underlies the strumming and singing. This subtle layer of depth is rather charming. These captivating lines, which have an undertone of admiration and devotion, give the impression that they’re portraying a couple or the challenges that come with it. “It’s the sound that brings me there, this city is locked into a song of prayer, that finds no melody. Every moment of the working day, the twitching muscles in each step I take, the prayer is all of me.” The relationship's love is spiritual—it's an experience transcending this earth. Grudgingly going about their days, wanting to be home and in the embrace of their partner. Depicting a story of a lifeless metropolis that lacks melody and the contrast of it, against the comfort once felt near his partner.
But then we’re met with Bedouine’s verse, seemingly a less romantic version of Hozier’s. “Maybe I have yet to venture out, see the places that I hear about. Planes and trains and cars carve their lines into a curve like blades; all I get to are mistakes half-made, leave the door ajar.” This evokes a sense of wanting to see more of the world but also the idea of the city intruding on once-natural areas. By asking that the other individual "leave the door ajar.” It implies that maybe she wants to keep the option of leaving open. The string instruments grow brighter as the song goes on, yet they also eventually fade away, much like the voices with only the wind behind.
For those who happen to be fans or would like to begin, the EP, just added to the album, Unreal Unearth: Unaired is excellent. His enthusiasm for his craft is evident when he performs live, and what he stands for is really admirable. Hozier will keep performing on his present tour until September 29, 2024. I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us.