On March 21, Irish musician Hozier abruptly dropped his new EP, full of never released songs, titled “Unheard.”
The singer-songwriter released four new songs on the EP. The songs include “Too Sweet”, “Wildflower and Barley”, “Empire Now” and “Fare Well”. “Too Sweet” took over social media leading up to the release, after Hozier himself released a small snippet of the song.
“Too Sweet” has easily become a fan favorite song of the EP, especially with its chorus that just draws people in. The song details a relationship between two people that share different lifestyles or views.
“My coffee black and my bed at three / You’re too sweet for me.”
What many fans have noticed is this is a complete 180 from Hozier’s song “Work Song” from his 2014 self-titled album. In that song he says “There’s nothing sweeter than my baby”, but now this person is just too sweet for him.
Moving on to “Wildflower and Barley” which features Canadian musician Allison Russell. The song opens with birds chirping and the soft hum of the guitar. The pair describe springtime, but juxtaposes it with feelings of loss.
“Everything in my vision, departure and death / Riverboat, wheelbarrow, wildflower and barley.”
The mellowness of the song changes to more upbeat and uplifting during the chorus, which differs from the lyrics. The song combines deeper themes with moving background noises.
Next is “Empire now” which definitely has a more folk or country feel to it, like Hoziers’ older albums. Drums bang in the background as a guitar strums in rhythm.
“Sun comin’ up on a dream come around / One hundred years from the empire now.”
The song delves into themes of time passing and how the world changes. This song has an old-fashioned nature to it, which some may not enjoy.
Lastly, Hozier ends the EP with “Fare Well” , another song that starts very slow, and then picks up into a fast paced folk song by the chorus. The lyrics in this song are harder to understand, as many Hozier fans know due to his thick Irish accent.
“Let the sun only shine on me through a fallin’ sky / I’ll be alright.”
The song is filled with hope; it talks about making it through a tough event and coming out on the other side.
Overall this new EP was a very strong release from Hozier and definitely is worth the listen.
