Elliana Guardado / Hilltop Views

This is Hozier’s third album and his music continues to remain an original experience.

Hozier is known for his poetic lyrics that are guaranteed to charm the ears of any who decide to turn on his music. You can always count on him to transport you into a headspace you could’ve never imagined. The pure rawness of his music was the reason I cried and did multiple laps in my room all within an hour.

 Releasing several singles as a small taste for fans to get an inside listen to the album was simply the calm before the storm prior to its official release on August 18th. Yet, no one could have prepared for the emotional rollercoaster many would experience as they journeyed into the artist’s latest album, “Unreal Unearth”. 

This album gives listeners the perfect display of what Hozier is capable of. Opening with the first track “De Selby Part 1” immediately brought tears to my eyes–which was embarrassing because I was in public–at only 50 seconds in. He provided the perfect mixture of his lyrics to the quality of production, bringing graceful violin strings and falsetto notes that were so overwhelming to me that I had no choice but to cry. 

As if I couldn’t get any more emotional, the first two tracks transitioned into each other. “De Selby Part 2” opens the door for the upbeat tracks by presenting its funky bass lines and catchy lyrics that immediately made me wipe my tears and make my adrenaline rise. Doing a complete 180, Hozier presents his lower register as he recites “What you’re given, what you live in / Daring, it finds a way to live in you” as the opening lines to this song. Hearing the consistency of the bold bass line and his low, mellow voice is the reason I was singing this track for the remainder of the day. 

Following the patterns of a more upbeat feel, tracks “First Time” and “Francesca” had me claim these two songs as my favorites on the album. “First Time” feels like a warm hug that I didn’t know I needed. The imagery throughout this song with lyrics such as “The perfect genius of our hands and mouths were shocked/ To resignation as the arguing declined” takes listeners through the whirlwinds of what a relationship can feel like is exactly the reason I will say it until I am blue in the face: no one does it like Hozier. “Francesca” is that girl, no other way to say it. Hozier, immediately taking us to church in the beginning with heavenly vocals, presents his poetic words “Heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I” made me raise my hands and praise in the name of Hozier. Not to mention the small guitar solo in the middle of the song that made me see the light, no further commentary needed. 

He has done it again, proving that he can, in fact, top his past work. Fans like to compare the work of Hozier to the elements. His debut album was air, his sophomore water, and now “Unreal Unearth” represents earth. Hearing this incredible record, I can only imagine how he can interpret the fire element into something even more intense. Defining a difference between all three of his albums is the one thing that leaves me speechless every time, because no matter what, he never misses. With the consistency of lyrics that will make you cry and musical production that is just right, these beautiful songs belong in a movie. Finishing my journey through this incredible album, I am now a brand new person who is going to be making a Hozier shrine above my bed. 

This album definitely deserves five out of five goats.