HOZIER - FRANCESCA
Musician Andrew Hozier-Byrne, known professionally as Hozier, has many dying of anticipation over the recent slew of songs and his upcoming album Unreal Unearth. Though many see the singer/songwriter as the “Take Me To Church Guy”, Hozier is much more than that and his work reflects it.
On Friday, May 19th, Francesca was released by the artist on all streaming platforms. Previous to this, an E.P. titled Eat Your Young was dropped in mid March along with a tour announcement for this coming summer and fall. Francesca holds the traditional Hozier sound of blues, rock, folk, and most importantly; soul.
The song in particular has a much “harder” vibe than many of his preceding pieces, much like the three preceding songs from Eat Your Young. The guitar is the focal point in terms of instruments and from the pedal effects to the accompanying rhythm guitar, drums, and organ, Francesca is a huge step instrumentally. It appears that Hozier is stepping into a fresh sound with this new collection of music although his near-perfect writing still prevails.
The lyrics of Francesca are gut wrenchingly sweet and real, as the musician writes of decadent love and the dedication (along with pain) that comes with it in life. Each word goes straight to the heart just as he intended and it makes one wonder if the Irish man was a poet of sorts in a past life.
Another fantastic element is the addition of backing vocals from Hozier himself and other singers, giving a choral effect to the already fervent piece. It’s just another layer of intensity on top of the brilliant experience that is Francesca, one that’s bound to jerk a few tears at the very least.
On August 18th, Unreal Unearth will be available everywhere. This will be Hozier’s first full length album since 2019’s Wasteland, Baby! And the excitement has resulted in a majority sold-out tour that begins June 25th in Glasgow, United Kingdom. After this release, he will be performing a string of shows around the United States as well as sets at festivals such as Iron Blossom, ACL, and Bourbon and Beyond.
To listen to Francesca, click here and for further updates and announcements
you can visit here!