Hozier’s third studio album builds upon topics from his past albums while giving his listeners songs that are obsession-worthy.
It’s taken me a few years to nail down a solid system for writing album reviews like this one.
The first step of the process is to play the album over and over again — meaning my roommate probably has the lyrics to Hozier’s new album, “Unreal Unearth,” imprinted onto the grooves of her brain. Hozier’s voice filled every inch of my apartment that sits across the street from campus for weeks. I’d tattoo every inch of my body in Hozier lyrics so I could be a work of art like his album that was released on Aug. 18.
This is only his third studio album — his first two being self-titled and “Wasteland, baby!” — but you’d never be able to tell. He’s able to weave together storylines and create songs that rip listeners apart while simultaneously stitching them back together.
The next step involves picking my favorite song.
The opening lyric of “Damage Gets Done (feat. Brandi Carlile),” — “without shame, two outfits then to my name/you’d end up in one when you’d stay/we had nowhere to go and every desire to be going there,” speaks volumes to me. It perfectly sets up a song that is about being “reckless and young” while portraying the beginning stages of love.
This is the song that showed up in my Release Radar — a playlist Spotify uses to promote newly released music their algorithm thinks you’d like — this past week, prompting me to listen to it first. This may be because a friend had an extra ticket to a Brandi Carlile concert in 2018 and Spotify remembers this, but I digress.
There’s something invigorating about this song. Maybe it’s the way their voices blend together, maybe it’s the enthusiasm that the beat has as the song starts, or maybe it prompts some form of nostalgia in me. That being said, I don’t think any part of my soul yearns to be 13 again.
My system for picking a second song to review varies. For this particular album, I wanted to transition into my second favorite song.
What makes “Abstract (Psychopomp)” my second favorite off the album is the way the words and notes melt together, forming an oasis you can’t help but want to wade into. The music wraps around you, beckoning you closer and closer until you’re drowning and don’t even realize it.
The song is comforting, and it feels familiar in a way I can’t quite place my finger on. The lyrics are catchy enough to imprint on my mind, and I find myself humming the chorus as I make dinner. The build-up to the chorus is exciting, with a similar feel to its predecessor: “Anything But.” I’ve had it playing on repeat through my headphones as I stroll to Gannett Hall in the morning. The cooler weather in the mornings works perfectly in tandem with the track.
“Francesca” takes on more of an angelic essence as it claims its spot as the fourth song on the album. The softness of the guitar riffs underneath Hozier’s melodic voice places the listener in a tranquil head space.
The final step to any album review I write is to weave all of my opinions together, displaying the tapestry of emotions conveyed by the music. There’s a lot to unpack with this album. At its core, “Unreal Unearth” is a comforting work of art. Themes of love, heartbreak and endings combine in a way that helps listeners feel at home. I always have a hard time with endings. College specifically has brought out this fear of mine, yet Hozier paints them as a beautiful stepping stone.
The album is multi-functional, working as both good background music to do homework to and as an album that you can go down the rabbit hole analyzing. Hozier has an amazing ability to make his songs feel as if he shaped them from clay, choosing each indent and groove, and this album is no exception.
Edited by Annie Goldman | agoldman@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Jackson Cooper and Grace Knight