According to Hozier’s Instagram on March 14th, the EP Unheard would be released on March 22, 2024. It would contain four new songs that almost made the cut for his previous album Unreal Unearth. After the announcement of these additional songs that would be released, anticipation and excitement quickly swept through social media. Throughout the EP, elements of sun, dirt, nature, and love are prominent and timely as we move toward spring. . In the rest of my review, I will discuss the instrumentals, my favorite lyrics, and my final overall rating of each song.
“Too Sweet”
The first song on the EP is the most popular and trending throughout social media right now. “Too Sweet” is definitely my favorite song of the four and has been playing on loop since its release. With the powerful bass being a prominent feature in the background of the song, it definitely catches your attention right away. I love how the first verse of the first chorus focuses on the bass only, and then the next verse adds the other instruments, including the church bells which is a genius move by Hozier and sounds SO GOOD. Overall, I absolutely love this song and its upbeat and soulful vibe.
Rating: 10/10
Favorite Lyrics:
“I think I’ll take my whiskey neat
My coffee black and my bed at three
You’re too sweet for me”
“You know you’re bright as the morning
As Soft as the rain
Pretty as a vine”
“Wildflower and Barley”
The start of the song’s first five seconds is filled with the sound of birds chirping followed by the soft strums of a guitar. This introduction encompasses a slower and calmer song. When the song reaches the chorus, Allison Russel’s background vocals come in, adding a melodic harmony that makes me feel like I’m levitating. The overlapping lyrics in the chorus also add to the dynamic of the song. We also hear Hozier’s iconic ooo’s in the background in this song, which is always great. The ending of the song is my favorite part, as it ends slower and quieter with the sounds of birds chirping, just like the start of the song, symbolizing the completed story of springtime.
Rating: 9/10
Favorite Lyrics:
“Springtime in the country
I can smell summer on its breath”
“(The Healers)
This year, I swear it will be buried in actions
(Are healin’)
This Year, I swear it will be buried in words”
“Springtime in the city
The canal banks are empty again
The grass crying out to be heated by bodies”
“Like grief and sweet memory, wildflower and barley”
“Empire Now”
One of the strongest-sounding songs in the EP, “Empire Now,” definitely sounds like it could be a part of a soundtrack of a final battle scene in a movie. Boosted guitar strums overpower the song especially in the beginning, and amps up the anticipation of the chorus. In the first chorus, Hozier becomes louder and belts the lyrics which results in such a strong chorus. During the lyrics “Sun comin’ up on a dream come around/ One hundred years from the empire now/ Sun comin’ up on a world that’s easy now,” violins and cellos start to play, matching the lyrics of peacefulness after the empire and hope of the sun for a new beginning. This song is definitely fun to listen to and makes me want to enter battle for real.
Rating: 8/10
Favorite Lyrics:
“The martyrs of our revolution
Their spinnin’ caused the earth to shake
The problem brought its own solution
The power now the world we’ve made”
“Fare Well”
The last song of the EP definitely has an overall powerful tone with the lyric, “I’ll be alright.” The song does go through its trials and tribulations with doubts of being okay. A soft guitar and violin sound starts the song off with a calm, good vibe. The building of the song to the chorus, the beat amps up, as well as the feeling that “I’ll be alright”. The chorus with no guitar, just synchronized background vocals, adds to the melancholic tone of the song.
Overall Rating: 9/10
Favorite Lyrics:
“Any solitary pleasure that was sorrow in disguise
Let the sun only shine on me through a fallin’ sky
I’ll be alright “