Hozier’s ‘Unreal Unearth’ Should Have Been Folksier
Over the weekend, I listened to Hozier’s newest album. While it consists of all solid songs, I still wish he fully committed to the Irish folk sound!
Last Friday, Hozier released Unreal Unearth, his much-anticipated third studio album after Wasteland, Baby! As a big fan of the artist, I can say that this album is very Hozier. Filled to the brim with nature metaphors, gospel-like vocals, a strong overarching theme (this one compares his life to Dante’s Inferno, which…that rules), and a blend of Irish folk and modern pop, Unreal Unearth pulled Hozier back into public consciousness, reminding us all the obvious: he’s very smart and talented.
However, even though Unreal Unearth checked all the boxes for me—again, there is no one other than I who would love an album where each track sings about a different circle of Hell as much—I still felt very underwhelmed by this ‘great comeback.’ I found myself not having much to say, finding a lot of tracks unremarkable, and taking quite a few breaks during this 1+ hour-long experience. More importantly, I was left disappointed by how familiar most of the songs sounded, and how the truly folk songs (some of Hozier’s best) were sparse.
Bottom line: if Hozier had fully committed to folk, this album would have been his best.
Hozier is, above all else, a pop/rock artist. He’s very open about his influences in American gospel rock and jazz, and while his songwriting and music capabilities are far above anyone else’s on the radio, a lot of his music on Unreal Unearth sounded like the funkier hits from the previous albums. “Die Selby II” goes crazy on the vocals (what else did we expect? He’s Hozier), but its bombastic quality reminded me a lot of “Movement” and “Be” off Wasteland, Baby! (2019). “Eat Your Young” is a super catchy jam, but it falls into the archetype of the ‘cool’ song that sounds poetic but is extremely horny for some reason (think “NFWMB” or “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene”). And I know the Brandi Carlile fans are going to hate me for this, but “Damage Gets Done” felt way too long, and it felt very out-of-place for both singers to contribute to this track. I’m not doubting their voices mesh well—they’re both incredible singers, and I’m sure on a different track they would have worked—I just think “Damage Gets Done” was not exciting enough of a song for either of them.
I found the most compelling tracks were “Die Selby I”, “I, Carrion (Icarian)”, “Butchered Tongue”, “Anything But”, and “Unknown / Nth.” It comes as no surprise that these are the folksiest tracks off Unreal Earth, so I would gravitate toward them the most. These are songs where I feel like Hozier attempts to go into a new musical direction. He abstains from his powerful vocals to sing a gentler melody, even overplaying the Irish accent a bit to add more authentic expression. Whether it’s the full verses in Irish (“Die Selby I”), the use of the acoustic guitar complemented by ambient strings and/or harp, or the free verse-style singing, these songs showcase what Hozier does best. The heart of Unreal Unearth lies in these folksier tracks, giving us the most personal insight yet into Hozier’s feelings and thoughts on the past few years. They’re beautiful, and while they’re not too heavy-handed with the Dante’s Inferno motif that seams the album together, they’re different from the rest of Hozier’s discography!
I recognize that, if a single track on an album adopts the folk genre, I will want the whole album to be folk. It’s my favorite music genre, and when a songwriter as talented as Hozier promises me a folk song, I know it’s going to be beautiful. So, when I first tuned into Unreal Unearth, I heard “Die Selby I” and immediately thought, “Oh, this is going to be Hozier’s update on Fleet Foxes’ Helplessness Blues (2011), and I’m going to love every minute of it!” That was not the case, however; a lot of the tracks fell back into the pop/rock groove that put Hozier on the map. And while they’re all superbly produced, and the lyrics are well written, they’re stuff I heard from Hozier before, so I’m unimpressed. Bored, even.
Anyway, Wasteland, Baby! (2019) is still one of the most beautiful albums ever written. “Would That I” changed lives.
Header image credited to proper owner under the photograph.