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Unreal Unearth

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Unreal Unearth
Studio album by
Hozier
Released18 August 2023 (2023-08-18)
RecordedMarch 2021 – February 2023[1]
Length62:22
Label
Producer
Hozier chronology
Eat Your Young
(2023) 		Unreal Unearth
(2023) 		Unheard
(2024)
Singles from Unreal Unearth
  1. "Eat Your Young"
    Released: 17 March 2023
  2. "All Things End"
    Released: 27 April 2023
  3. "Francesca"
    Released: 19 May 2023[2]
  4. "Unknown / Nth"
    Released: 23 June 2023[3]
  5. "De Selby (Part 2)"
    Released: 21 July 2023

Unreal Unearth is the third studio album by Irish musician Hozier, released on 18 August 2023. It contains the singles "Eat Your Young" and "Francesca", along with the song "All Things End". Hozier toured Ireland, the UK, North America, Australia, and New Zealand in support of the record from June 2023 to November 2024. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, and debuted at number one on the Irish and UK charts.

Background

[edit]

Hozier wrote the album during the COVID-19 pandemic and stated it was his way of "mak[ing] sense of the experience of the last two years". It was inspired by Dante's Inferno, which he began reading at the time; he framed the album around Dante's concept of the nine circles of Hell. He called the album "quite eclectic" and stated that there is "something of a retrospective in what the sounds lean into". He also said that the three tracks on the preceding Eat Your Young EP were "not representative of the entire album".[1] Hozier also draws from characters and logic seen in Flann O'Brien's novel The Third Policeman.[4] Unreal Unearth as a whole signifies a journey through Dante's nine circles of Hell and coming out at the other side, with each song referring to a specific "universal theme" or feeling.[5]

The album features Hozier writing and singing lyrics in the Irish language for the first time.[6] In an interview with The Irish Times, he said that "there's so much that cannot be expressed outside of that language, that language can express that we're unaware of".[7] The track "Butchered Tongue" refers to attempts by the British administration to destroy the Irish language through colonialism.[8]

On 14 March 2024, Hozier announced the Unheard EP, which includes four songs originally recorded for Unreal Unearth: "Too Sweet", "Wildflower and Barley", "Empire Now", and "Fare Well". The tracks represent the stages of gluttony, limbo, violence, and ascent, respectively, from Dante's Inferno, but did not make the final cut for the album.[9]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[10]
Metacritic76/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
Exclaim!8/10[12]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[13]
Mojo[14]
NME[15]
Paste8.2/10[16]
Pitchfork5.0/10[17]
The Skinny[18]
Uncut7/10[19]

Unreal Unearth received a score of 76 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 14 critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[11] Caitlin Chatterton of The Line of Best Fit found that "as well as uplifting Irish culture, the album is keen to demonstrate that Hozier is well versed in the classics" and concluded that "from the folk twang of 'First Time' to the torrential clapping on 'Anything But', this is a Hozier album to the hilt: considered, earnest, and moving".[13] Rho Chung of The Skinny remarked that "Hozier's far-reaching vocal range is on full display" on the album, which Chung called "an eclectic and meandering meditation on love at a time in which our continued existence often feels at odds with the planet's".[18]

CT Jones of Rolling Stone stated that "Hozier doesn't just succeed in exploring that dark emotional world; his painful ascent makes the listener immediately want to climb with him. Even harder, he successfully delivers a third album that doesn't shy away from any topic, even when he doesn't have the answers."[20] Maddison Ryan of Exclaim! described the album as "a journey" that "even without prior knowledge of the album's roots in classic literature, it feels part of a greater mythology", ultimately calling it "the kind of music that people can escape into; the soundtrack to feelings not even Heaven can hold".[12]

Aliya Chaudhry of NME remarked that Unreal Unearth "traverses a variety of styles from softer piano ballads like 'Butchered Tongue' to up-tempo folk-pop 'Anything But' and fuzzy-guitar rock stomp 'Francesca'", making the album "a product of going where the song takes you".[15] Uncut complimented tracks as well, writing that "'De Selby Part 2' shows he can stylishly bring funk and R&B influences to bear. But most distinctive are the Afrobeat touches that lace 'Damage Gets Done' and 'Anything But'".[19]

Sam Eeckhout of Paste stated that the album is "packed full of poetic lyricism, heavyhearted remorse, hopeful anticipation and an honest expression of the joys and sorrow of being a human" and has "a sharp balance" that makes it "never top-heavy" nor "ever stagnant".[16] Mojo wrote that "Hozier's audacity can feel outsized and overbearing, but his tandem of earnestness and eccentricity here is more winning than not".[14] Pitchfork's Peyton Thomas described the album as a "mishmash of mythology and past-date pop that leaves [Hozier] sounding like an interloper".[17]

Year-end lists

[edit]
Select year-end rankings of Unreal Unearth
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
The A.V. Club The 27 Best Albums of 2023 22
[21]
American Songwriter American Songwriter's Top 17 Albums of 2023 —
[22]
Billboard The 50 Best Albums of 2023: Staff List 27
[23]
The Daily Telegraph The 10 Best Albums of 2023 9
[24]
HuffPost The Best Albums of 2023 —
[25]
Esquire The 20 Best Albums of 2023 3
[26]
The image shows Hozier's stage from a distance during the Unreal Unearth tour at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA. Hozier is on stage performing Work Song on the left of the image. The backdrop shows a pink and purple sunset with various spotlights shining down on Hozier. A screen zoomed in on Hozier is to the right of the stage. Red and pink lights project across the venue matching the color scheme of the backdrop.
Unreal Unearth Tour stage during "Work Song"

Unreal Unearth Tour

[edit]

Hozier announced the Unreal Unearth tour on 17 March 2023, alongside the release of the Eat Your Young EP.[27] The initial leg of the tour spanned across North America and Europe from June through December 2023. On 9 November 2023, Hozier announced a second leg of the United States tour, adding 37 new dates between April and September 2024;[28] 14 new shows were later added on 29 January 2024[29] followed by an additional 6 dates announced on 29 February 2024. The Teskey Brothers, Victoria Canal, Madison Cunningham, Brittany Howard, Lord Huron, and The Last Dinner Party joined Hozier as openers during the initial leg of the tour. Hozier also brought his father, John Byrne, on stage to perform in the encore during the September 30, 2023 performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Allison Russell is set to open on the second US leg of the tour.[28] An Australian and New Zealand leg of the tour was announced on 11 March 2024, with Joy Oladokun as the opening act.[30]

The Unreal Unearth Tour setlist included songs from the Unreal Unearth, Wasteland, Baby!, and Hozier albums. The main set openers included songs "De Selby (Part 1)" and "De Selby (Part 2)". "Take Me to Church" and "First Light" closed the set. "Work Song" functioned as the show's encore.

Hozier worked with Production Designer Steven Douglass and Tour Director Duchess Iredale to create the Unreal Unearth tour visuals. The show focuses heavily on the use of projections and lighting. The main stage background features animated projections on a piece of metal mesh; the projections follow the album's journey underground and into Hell.[31]

Track listing

[edit]
Unreal Unearth track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."De Selby (Part 1)"Andrew Hozier-Byrne
3:39
2."De Selby (Part 2)"
  • Bekon
  • Chakra
  • Pete G
  • Gitelman
  • Gherman
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Marius Feder[a]
3:47
3."First Time"
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Alex Ryan
  • Gitelman
  • Gitelman
  • Hozier-Byrne
3:53
4."Francesca"
  • Decilveo
  • Hozier-Byrne
4:30
5."I, Carrion (Icarian)"
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Decilveo
  • Decilveo
  • Hozier-Byrne
3:16
6."Eat Your Young"
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Tannenbaum
  • Gonzales
  • Krieger
  • Gherman
  • Stuart Johnson
  • Tyler Mehlenbacher
  • Craig Balmoris
  • Feder
  • Bekon
  • Pete G
  • Chakra
  • Gherman
  • Hozier-Byrne
4:02
7."Damage Gets Done" (with Brandi Carlile)
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Tannenbaum
  • Gonzales
  • Krieger
  • Gherman
  • Johnson
  • Mehlenbacher
  • Bekon
  • Pete G
  • Chakra
  • Gherman
  • Feder[a]
  • Sariah Mae[a]
4:28
8."Who We Are"
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Tannenbaum
  • Krieger
  • Gonzales
  • Gherman
  • Bekon
  • Pete G
  • Chakra
  • Gherman
4:05
9."Son of Nyx"
  • Ryan
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Tannenbaum
  • Bekon
  • Pete G
3:19
10."All Things End"
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Tannenbaum
  • Krieger
  • Gonzales
  • Gherman
  • Johnson
  • Bekon
  • Pete G
  • Chakra
  • Gherman
  • Feder[a]
3:33
11."To Someone from a Warm Climate (Uiscefhuaraithe)"
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Gitelman
  • Gitelman
  • Hozier-Byrne
4:00
12."Butchered Tongue"Hozier-Byrne
  • Decilveo
  • Hozier-Byrne
2:29
13."Anything But"
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Tannenbaum
  • Krieger
  • Gonzales
  • Gherman
  • Johnson
  • Feder
  • Bekon
  • Pete G
  • Chakra
  • Gherman
3:45
14."Abstract (Psychopomp)"
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Tannenbaum
  • Gonzales
  • Krieger
  • Gherman
  • Johnson
  • Mehlenbacher
  • Balmoris
  • Bekon
  • Pete G
  • Chakra
  • Gherman
  • Balmoris
  • Mehlenbacher
4:04
15."Unknown / Nth"Hozier-ByrneHozier-Byrne4:40
16."First Light"
  • Hozier-Byrne
  • Tannenbaum
  • Gonzales
  • Krieger
  • Gherman
  • Johnson
  • Mehlenbacher
  • Balmoris
  • Bekon
  • Pete G
  • Chakra
  • Gherman
  • Balmoris
  • Mehlenbacher
  • Hozier-Byrne
4:52
Total length:62:22

Note

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Personnel

[edit]

Musicians

  • Andrew Hozier-Byrne – vocals (all tracks), melodica (track 3), guitar (4, 5, 12), all instruments (15)
  • Alex Ryan – bass guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5), background vocals (3), keyboards (3), organ (4), piano (5, 12)
  • Sora – cello (1–3, 11)
  • Péter Illényi – conductor (1, 9, 16)
  • Stanley Randolph – drums (1–3)
  • Jeff Gitelman – synthesizer (1, 2, 11), electric guitar (1, 2), acoustic guitar (3), bass guitar (3), piano (11)
  • Peter Gonzales – synthesizer (1, 2, 7, 13, 14), background vocals (7), drum machine (7, 14), drums (8, 10, 13, 16), percussion (8, 10), programming (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14), guitar (7, 14, 16)
  • Ginny Luke – violin (1–3, 11)
  • Budapest Scoring Orchestra – orchestra (1, 9, 16)
  • Jordan Seigel – orchestra (1, 9, 16)
  • Lisa McCormick – French horn (1, 2)
  • Huang Ming Xiang 黄民翔 – pipa (1)
  • Daniel Krieger – bass guitar (2, 6–8, 10, 13, 14, 16), guitar (6–8, 10, 14, 16), acoustic guitar (13)
  • Daniel Lim – cello (2, 6, 10)
  • Daniel Tannenbaum – keyboards (2, 7), strings (2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14, 16), synthesizer (2, 6–8, 10, 13, 14, 16), background vocals (6, 13, 16), organ (6), piano (8, 10, 14, 16), clapping (13)
  • Stuart Johnson – percussion (2, 8, 10), drums (6–8, 10, 14, 16), programming (8, 10, 14)
  • Sergiu Gherman – programming (2, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14), keyboards (8), clapping (13), drum machine (16)
  • The Whole Soul Strings – strings (2, 6, 10)
  • Drew Alexander Forde – viola (2, 6, 10)
  • Andrew Kwon – violin (2, 6, 10)
  • Haesol Lee – violin (2, 6, 10)
  • Dominique Sanders – bass guitar (3, 11)
  • Jennifer Decilveo – drum machine, piano, programming, synthesizer (4, 5, 12)
  • Sam KS – drums (4, 5, 12)
  • David Levita – guitar (4, 5, 12)
  • Aretha Scruggs – choir (6, 10)
  • Charles Jones – choir (6, 10)
  • Danielle Withers – choir (6, 10)
  • David Simmonds – choir (6, 10)
  • Fletcher Sheridan – choir (6, 10)
  • Gregory Fletcher – choir (6, 10)
  • Kadeem Nichols – choir (6, 10)
  • Nayanna Holley – choir (6, 10)
  • Tony Scruggs – choir (6, 10)
  • Craig Balmoris – drum machine (6, 16)
  • Marius Feder – synthesizer (6), clapping (13)
  • Brandi Carlile – vocals (7)

Technical

  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Steve Fallone – mastering (1–3, 5–16)
  • Zach Szydlo – Atmos mastering
  • David Levita – mastering (4)
  • Andrew Scheps – mixing
  • Pete G – mixing (1, 9, 10, 13)
  • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (2, 7, 16)
  • Shawn Everett – mixing (3)
  • Tom Elmhirst – mixing (6, 8, 14)
  • Jeff Gitelman – engineering (1–3, 11)
  • RJ Cardenas – engineering (1–3, 11
  • Viktor Szabó – engineering (1, 9, 16)
  • Jennifer Decilveo – engineering (4, 5, 12)
  • Nick Squillante – engineering (4, 5, 12)
  • Sean Cook – engineering (4, 5, 12, 15), vocal engineering (6–8, 10, 13, 14, 16)
  • Adam Hong – engineering (6, 8, 14)
  • Matt Anthony – engineering (6, 10, 14, 16)
  • Logan Taylor – engineering (8, 10, 13), engineering assistance (6, 14, 16)
  • Wil Anspach – engineering (10)
  • Daniel Krieger – vocal engineering (6–8, 10, 13, 14, 16)
  • Kieran Beardmore – engineering assistance (1, 7, 16)
  • Liam O'Dowd – engineering assistance (1, 7, 16)
  • Matt Wolach – engineering assistance (1, 7, 16)
  • Greg Truitt – engineering assistance (8, 10, 13)

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Unreal Unearth
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Poland (ZPAV)[59] Platinum 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[61] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Reilly, Nick (17 March 2023). "Hozier on new EP Eat Your Young and how Dante's Inferno inspired him". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  2. ^ Gregory, Elizabeth (19 May 2023). "Hozier announces release date for new album Unreal Unearth". Evening Standard. Retrieved 26 May 2023 – via Yahoo!.
  3. ^ "Cry Club, Hozier, Kee'ahn & More: This Week's Best New Music". The Music. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  4. ^ Thibodeau, Abby. "Unearthing the Fictitious Mind of an Irish Philosopher | "De Selby (Part 1)" by Hozier". Impact 89FM | WDBM-FM. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  5. ^ Weatherby, Taylor (19 August 2023). "Inside Hozier's Unreal Unearth: How the Singer Flipped Dante's 'Inferno' & the Irish Language Into His Latest Album". Grammy.com. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  6. ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (2 August 2023). "Hozier's new album, Unreal Unearth, track-by-track review: Powerful songs that ebb and flow". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  7. ^ Mullally, Una (19 August 2023). "Hozier: 'This album was actually more not trying to be the control freak'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  8. ^ Power, Ed (18 August 2023). "Album review: Unreal Unearth is Hozier's finest record yet and has breathtaking moments". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Hozier announces new Unheard EP, out next week". Hot Press. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Unreal Unearth by Hozier reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Unreal Unearth by Hozier Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  12. ^ a b Ryan, Maddison (17 August 2023). "Hozier's Unreal Unearth Is Music to Escape Into". Exclaim!. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  13. ^ a b Chatterton, Caitlin (14 August 2023). "Hozier: Unreal Unearth review – a characteristically charming third instalment". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Hozier – Unreal Unearth". Mojo. September 2023. p. 91.
  15. ^ a b Chaudhry, Aliya (17 August 2023). "Hozier – Unreal Unearth review: Epic, expansive and ethereal". NME. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  16. ^ a b Eeckhout, Sam (17 August 2023). "On Unreal Unearth, Hozier Makes His Boldest Work Yet". Paste. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  17. ^ a b Thomas, Peyton (25 August 2023). "Hozier: Unreal Unearth Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
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