Rating: 5/10

Hozier released “Unheard,” an extended play following the success of his previous album, “Unreal Unearth,” on Friday. The project contains four newly released songs that sound like throwaway tracks from his most recent album. 

While there are bright spots across the board on this release, it is more of the same from the Irish musician as he continues his new sound. Like most of Hozier’s music, the highlights of “Unheard” are the strong vocal performances and catchy hooks to captivate listeners. 

The first track, “Too Sweet,” is a pop anthem that has already gained commercial success. The song debuted at No. 2 on Spotify’s U.S. chart and amassed 18 million streams since its release. “Too Sweet” is led by a driving bassline and a chorus that is nearly impossible to get out of your head. 

“I think I’ll take my whiskey neat/ My coffee black and my bed at three/ You’re too sweet for me,” Hozier sings throughout the chorus. 

The lyrics are meant to depict him as a bitter and bland man who cannot get himself into a relationship with this person because he does not want to hurt her. 

“I wish I could go along/ Babe, don’t get me wrong,” he admits on the track.

Hozier reveals that he wants this person and is upset about the fact that it will not work. He is self-aware of his flaws and inability to handle a relationship at this point in his life.

The next track, “Wildflower and Barley,” is a slower acoustic ballad featuring Allison Russell. In an interview with Mexican radio station El Camino, Hozier gives context to the song as he reveals it was written during the COVID-19 pandemic. The folk artist drew inspiration from the “stillness and the sort of eerie unhappy quiet of living in the countryside or living in the city” he witnessed during the lockdown.

He harps on this in the second verse, singing “The canal banks are empty again/ The grass cryin’ out to be heated by bodies/ The streets for the laughter of young women and men.”

Instrumentally, the song begins with bird chirps met by a calm, finger-picked guitar progression. From this, the track continues to build with percussion, vocal harmonies and a string section. Allison Russell provides a wonderful counterpart to Hozier, as her soft and airy vocals harmonize with his powerful voice. 

“Empire Now” follows and is a more experimental track compared to its counterparts, beginning with a dark slide guitar riff followed by a loud and punchy 808 reminiscent of an Imagine Dragons sound. While the instrumentation gives the song a powerful aura, the stadium anthem aesthetic does not line up well with the lyrical theme of the track.

“Empire Now” pays homage to Hozier’s Irish heritage as he speaks on Irish uprisings and revolts against British oppression. He praises “The martyrs of our revolution,” or those who suffered and died in Ireland, and this is presumably a reference to the Easter Rising, which resulted in a massacre of 16 Irish nationalists.

He continues, “After all, darlin’, I wouldn’t sell the world/ For all the gold or sterling.”

This line calls out politicians and billionaires who exploit people and Earth’s resources for personal gain. 

The final track of the EP is “Fare Well.” The tune is uplifting and speaks about carrying on through bouts of depression. 

He makes multiple comparisons of his well-being to animals in unfortunate situations, singing, “Hedgehog-under-a-van-wheel kind of wouldn’t fare well.” 

The entire song is based on feeling hopeless and not having any direction. However, he ends the chorus with a glimmer of hope as he sings, “Let the sun only shine on me through a fallin’ sky/ I’ll be alright.”

Altogether, this EP just feels like an extension of his “Unreal Unearth” and is forgettable compared to the rest of his discography. Despite this, multiple impressive performances across the EP still make it worth the listen.

Hozier is currently touring around North America and will stop at Lollapalooza in Chicago as a headlining act. 

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