I’ve only listened to Hozier for a year, but I’ve fallen in love with his beautiful lyrics, strong voice and mastery in musical composition. All these qualities are reflected in “Unreal Unearth,” his first album in four years. 

“Unreal Unearth” came out Aug. 18 and consists of 16 tracks, three of which (“Eat Your Young,” “All Things End” and “Francesca”) were released earlier this year as singles. The album tells the story of Dante’s “Inferno,” and shows themes of love, death and everything that comes between. 

The songs that had the strongest impact were “Eat Your Young,” and its response, “Damage Gets Done.” They speak about greed in our society and how we prioritize money and fame over things as important as our own children. “Damage Gets Done” is the youth’s response and it shows the struggle of being the new generation, of “being blamed for a world we [have] no power in.” After years of hearing my generation being called “lazy” and a “failure,” it was incredible to hear my thoughts being put into words, especially by an adult.

Another one of my favorites is “De Selby (part 1).” While the song has stunning vocals and beautiful instruments, the thing that stood out most was the ending of the song. In the outro, Hozier sings in Gaelic — the language spoken in Ireland. Hozier himself is Irish, and I love how he references his culture in such a beautiful way. His Irish roots are also present in a few more songs, including “To Someone From A Warm Climate (Uifcefhuaraithe),” a song using the Irish word to represent something not taught, but known instinctively and in “Butchered Tongue,” a song about the loss of language, reflecting the lessened use of Gaelic in Ireland.

A major aspect to this album is emotional pain, whether shown through a lost relationship in “First Time,” “Abstract (Psychopomp)” and “Unknown/Nth,” or simply a deep sadness as shown in “Who We Are,” “Anything But” and “First Light.” Something about his expression of this pain draws me in and allows me to express my pain alongside him, something I rarely see in music.

I think every one of Hozier’s albums is a work of art, and this one did not disappoint. The music brings forth happiness, sadness and grief. I wish I could listen to these songs for the first time again.