Hozier shares new EP ‘Unheard’
The iconic Irish man shares a whole host of previously unheard tracks from the album ‘Unreal Unearth’.
Photo: Ruth Medjber
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must be well equipped to Hozier taking the latest social media trend by its throat with Too Sweet, taken from his latest EP, Unheard.
The Irish singer-songwriter blessed us with the arrival of his latest album, Unreal Unearthed, last summer so, when this EP released last week, fans were pleasantly surprised. Unheard sits at fourteen minutes long of tracks that didn’t make the cut for the recent album but, if you ask me, the EP slaps more than the album.
Everything that we love about our Take Me To Church saviour is truly presented within this EP and projects a range of emotions for us to explore in one sitting. The best way to describe Unheard is that it’s a celebration of Hozier as opposed to a carbon copy of his earlier albums (such as Wasteland, Baby and the self-titled Hozier).
The extended play starts incredibly strong with the opener Too Sweet. The song is a Hozier staple – a true, relatable love song. Whilst the track is still in its roots of being a love song, it still comes with a twist. It describes how the narrator and the subject are not meant to be, describing how they’re “too sweet for me” whilst the narrator is bitter and takes their “coffee black”.
Wildflower and Barley hit us in a slightly different direction than Andrew’s usual sound. The song has a 70s soft rock style with an underlining hint of soul. Familiar characteristics are still very prominent in the lyricism.
Empire Now takes a trip down memory lane towards the feel and stylistic similarities of Take Me To Church with the baritones and blues. The track is meant to represent the full circle of violence and how it is almost cinematic within nature. The lyrics heavily reference Irish history about how they gained independence from the British Empire in the lyrics: “One hundred years from the empire now”.
Fare Well serves as an emotional end to the EP. The vibrancy from the guitar contrasts with the morbid imagery that is trying to be created. Very on point for a Hozier track.
Overall, the EP serves a purpose and, whilst it’s not as neat or as consistent as a full album, Unheard is a must for all indie folk listeners and you certainly won’t be wishing for those fourteen minutes of your life back.
Unheard is out now via Rubyworks Limited.