Hozier: A Poet of Yearning
Hozier: A Poet of Yearning
Few artists capture the essence of longing quite like Hozier. His music doesn’t just tell stories—it aches. It lingers in the spaces between words, in the haunting echoes of his melodies, in the quiet desperation woven into his lyrics. He has always been a master of crafting songs that feel like reaching for something just beyond your grasp, whether it’s love, redemption, or a sense of belonging. His latest album, Unreal Unearth, is no exception. Rooted in Dante’s Inferno, it takes listeners on a descent through different emotional and existential limbos, exploring the depths of love, grief, and self-reflection.
The Weight of Recognition in “Unknown / Nth”
Among the album’s most devastating tracks, Unknown / Nth is a masterclass in quiet heartbreak. It speaks to the feeling of knowing someone so well that their essence seems stitched into your very existence—only to lose them. The title itself evokes a sense of distance, of something once familiar becoming unknown, as if a person you loved has dissolved into something you can no longer reach.
One of the most poignant lines in the song is:
"Do you know, I could break beneath the weight of the goodness, love, I still carry for you?"
Here, Hozier captures a specific kind of heartbreak—not one of anger or resentment, but of reverence. There’s an unbearable weight in still holding love for someone who is no longer in your life, a love that has nowhere to go, no place to land. The song sways between the past and present, lingering in the liminal space of memories, where love remains but the person is gone.
Echoes of Identity in “Who We Are”
If Unknown / Nth is a whisper of grief, Who We Are is a cry into the void. The song builds with a slow-burning intensity, mirroring the journey of self-discovery and the weight of our past selves. It speaks to transformation, to the people we used to be and the versions of ourselves we lose along the way.
The chorus explodes into an almost cathartic release, as Hozier sings about the inevitability of change, of breaking free, of reclaiming who we are even after loss and struggle. There’s a defiant yearning here—one that doesn’t just mourn what’s gone but demands to move forward, to redefine oneself. It’s a song that feels like stepping out of the wreckage, carrying the scars but still standing.
The Wordless Longing of “Son of Nyx”
Even without lyrics, Son of Nyx is one of the most breathtaking pieces on the album. It feels like floating in a dream, like an old myth being whispered in the wind. Named after Nyx, the primordial goddess of the night in Greek mythology, the track carries a celestial, almost sacred atmosphere. The swelling strings, the layered echoes—it all creates a sense of something ancient and infinite, a yearning that doesn’t need words to be felt.
There’s something deeply spiritual in the way Hozier composes his instrumental tracks. They aren’t just interludes; they are emotions given form, a space where longing exists beyond language. Son of Nyx feels like a reflection, like staring into the past or gazing at the night sky, searching for something you can’t quite name but know you’ve lost.
A Yearning That Never Ends
Hozier’s music has always been about longing—not just for love, but for understanding, for meaning, for something beyond ourselves. Unreal Unearth deepens this theme, painting love and loss through the lens of myth and poetry. Whether through the delicate devastation of Unknown / Nth, the existential reckoning of Who We Are, or the celestial weight of Son of Nyx, the album reminds us that yearning is an intrinsic part of being human. We reach, we ache, we love, and we lose. And somehow, through it all, we keep listening.
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