Hello! 😊👋
Welcome to a new edition of the Best Music of All Time newsletter!
Today’s music pick is the latest from Irish singer/songwriter Hozier that sees a distinctive voice explore uncharted territory.
Genre: Soul, Singer/Songwriter
Label: Modular
Release Date: August 18, 2023
Vibe: 🤩
In many ways, Irish singer/songwriter Hozier has been a victim of his own success. Bursting on the scene in 2013 with “Take Me to Church,” his discography since then has failed to break through in the same manner, despite being as good or, in the case of Unreal Unearth, much more polished and ambitious. With strong writing and arrangements that help elevate his dark, velvety vocal tones, this is a work of enviable artistic fearlessness. It balances restraint with insistence, serenity with gravity, and a matter-of-fact coolness with an unflinching (and, at times, uncompromising) sense of intimacy. One of the many records written almost entirely during the global pandemic shutdown, I was dazzled by how much Hozier manages to do here with a few vital sonic ingredients. As a result, his penchant for telling dark, often moving stories that navigate multifaceted themes to ultimately find hopefulness in the light.
An excellent example is “First Time,” a track that shows up in Unearth’s early stages. It features a chorus that is full of whimsy and romanticism while also hinting at a past waywardness that needed to be overcome: “Some part of me must have died/The first time that you called me ‘baby’/And some part of me came alive/The first time that you called me ‘baby.’” There’s also “Who We Are,” a song full of regret and self-deprecation but, somehow, not a total downer. As he continues to grow as a musician, that’s Hozier’s greatest skill—being able to package all these hard-to-verbalize emotions into an experience that’s instantly familiar and accessible. Listening to this record, I kept thinking to myself that I’ve seen the characters that populate these tracks, exchanging some of the same revelations, even if it’s just through a look or a nod. That’s a tough, tough trick to pull off, particularly in a music landscape that often fills space with cynical, low-hanging observations instead of hard-earned windows into the human experience.
This record is the latter and makes me excited to hear what Hozier has in store next.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈