Irish singer-songwriter Hozier has once again entranced audiences with his newest album “Unreal Unearth”. Influenced by Dante’s “Inferno,” the first part of his three-part epic poem “The Divine Comedy,” Hozier dives into Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell.
“I’d hoped that these songs could live above ground and below ground at the same time, if that makes sense, and that they’re in sympathy or harmony with each other at points,” Hozier says in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
An album created during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hozier scrapped his previous work and began “Unreal Unearth”.
“How I settled on doing that was just to make this collection of songs, let them be what they needed to be in that time period, and then structure them into nine circles as a nod to the journey of descending into this place we didn’t really expect to find ourselves,” Hozier said.
He begins Dante’s descent with De Selby (Part 1). A soft yet powerful start to “Unreal Unearth”, Hozier explores philosophy with religious undertones in “De Selby (Part 1)”. The opening track is about De Selby, a character in Flann O’Brien’s The Third Policeman.
“… it’s sort of a playful little reflection on creation,” Hozier commented on the song.
Comparing De Selby to God; “No closer could I be to God / Or why he would do what he’s done.” Verses that reference the embrace of darkness calms the listener, while also offering a dose of melancholy. He softly sings about De Selby’s metamorphosis with the darkness. Irish singing in the outro furthers the romantic nature of the song. The album continues with Dante’s descent into Hell, mirroring the journey Dante and Virgil take. Soulful lyrics and ethereal composition mesmerize listeners as he sings about love, loss, and the end of darkness.
“First Light,” the closing track of “Unreal Unearth”, provides a satisfying conclusion to Hozier’s dive into the Underworld. In the final track, he feels the catharsis of leaving Hell and entering into the light. A direct contrast to opening track “De Selby (Part 1),” “First Light” celebrates the light instead of hiding away from it.
“It’s about coming out the other side and having a new relationship with light as something you don’t want to hide from, or disappear from,” Hozier explains in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Along with the album, Hozier is currently performing a world tour of “Unreal Unearth”. The “Take Me to Church” singer recently performed a sold-out show at Huntington Bank Pavilion on September 12, 2023, with fan-favorites such as “Francesca” and “Like Real People Do.”
