Hozier is a member of Irish rock’s photogenically poetic wing. In advertising shots, the singer-songwriter from County Wicklow broods soulfully against a background of mossy forests or sandy dunes. “Don’t be afraid” in Latin, Seamus Heaney’s dying words, are tattooed on his arm. “Take Me to Church” was a sternum-quaking, foot-stomping hymn that blended carnal bliss with holy imagery like a chart-topping remake of a metaphysical poem by John Donne or Andrew Marvell.
That massive worldwide hit was released a decade ago. Hozier, actual name Andrew Hozier-Byrne, has managed to avoid the golden curse of the one-hit wonder since then. Despite debuting five years after his predecessor, his second album Wasteland, Baby! debuted at number one in the United States in 2019. Unreal Unearth, his third album, arrives after a similarly long wait. It was inspired by Dante’s Inferno.
Hozier’s previous work has been marred by a mismatch between lofty literary allusions and more grounded songcraft. Songs that clomp through the well-traveled byways of blues and gospel rock have conjured echoes of Yeats and Joyce. Lyrics address significant themes like climate change and social fairness, yet they choose hazy poeticism over directness. The indictment of the Catholic church’s homophobia in “Take Me to Church” was due to the song’s video rather than its lyrics.
Unreal Unearth has its own flaws. The Dantean air is especially thin in “Damage Gets Done,” a screaming duet about reckless youth with Brandi Carlile in which the two vocalists yell at one other as though attempting to conduct a conversation at a noisy event. However, the album is Hozier’s most complete to date.
With Nick Drake-style folk-rock that expands into a bigger orchestral sound, “De Selby (Part 1)” exhibits lyrics about loneliness and spirituality. As Hozier sings of an all-consuming love affair, “De Selby (Part 2)” shifts to a slinky stadium beat. There are disco-rock excursions (“Eat Your Young”) and contemporary gospel-pop balladry (“All Things End”).
The singer’s roar is as powerful as ever, but he also uses various vocal styles to great effect, ranging from gentle high crooning to murmurous sing-speak. His Irish accent is stronger than normal, especially in “Butchered Tongue,” which confronts the British effort to eradicate the Irish language. Words and meanings have more weight here than they did before with Hozier.
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