c/o Unheard, Hozier

After the success of his 2023 album Unreal Unearth, Irish singer-songwriter Hozier released Unheard, an EP of four songs that did not make the original album. These new additions round out Hozier’s modern retelling of Dante’s “Inferno,” with each song representing a layer of hell.

Originally teased in a TikTok featuring the artist sketching a skeleton holding a glass of whiskey and a coffee cup, a snippet of the first track “Too Sweet” trended—and the full version did not disappoint, debuting at No. 2 on Spotify’s U.S. chart with over 3.3 million streams. Gluttonous, sardonic, and jaded, Unheard navigates a mature exploration of romance and rejection and departs from Hozier’s typical sound with an emphasis on percussion and bassline. Although I prefer the stripped-down version of the first chorus, there is something devastating about the addition of the bells (matrimonial or funereal, I am never quite sure) in the latter half of the song. The tolling is deeply atmospheric, as is the instrumentation of most of Hozier’s constrained discography. “Too Sweet” is also a pressing reminder that Hozier is in fact a Pisces man.

With lyrics such as “You know you’re bright as the morning / … As sweet as a grape / If you can sit in a barrel / Maybe I’ll wait,” “Too Sweet” is eerily reminiscent of every manipulative ex, if a thousand times more lyrical. Hozier could certainly passively-aggressively compliment me any day.

The second track, “Wildflower and Barley”—a favorite of my beloved co-writer on The Argus’ review of “Unreal Unearth”—features a duet with Allison Russell, who is also joining Hozier for select performances throughout 2024. The song—placed in limbo—soars with Russell’s soft vocals and Hozier’s continued lyrical focus on the cyclical character of love and nature. Of the four new tracks, “Wildflower and Barley” is perhaps closest to what we have come to expect from the singer, and a perfect accompaniment to the slowly-warming spring days.

“Springtime in the city / The canal banks are empty again,” he sings. “The grass cryin’ out to be heated by bodies / The streets for the laughter of young women and men.”

“Empire Now” should have never been left off the album, joining “Unreal Unearth” tracks “To Someone From a Warm Climate” and “Butchered Tongue” in the seventh circle of violence. With references to the revolution for Irish independence—2021 marked 100 years of the Anglo-Irish treaty—Hozier contrasts the war drums underlying the song with optimistic lyrics focusing on the future. The song also demonstrates his incredible vocal range—perhaps attendees of his “Unreal Unearth” world tour will be blessed enough to hear “Empire Now” in person.

The final track, “Fare Well,” is a folk-influenced acoustic exploration of acceptance and emotional turmoil. While unfortunately a bit forgettable when compared to the other tracks on the EP, it nevertheless serves as a clever closer to this chapter of Hozier’s discography, with his signature dedication to both lyricism and musical composition. 

Rose Chen can be reached at rchen@wesleyan.edu.