After a long 5 years since his last album, Hozier released his highly anticipated sophomore album, “Wasteland, Baby!” in early March. This album is filled with a variety of different sounds from upbeat and jazzy to soft and mellow to dark and brooding.  Here is a review of a few of my favorite songs off of Hozier’s new album.

The album starts off strong with a powerful anthem called “Nina Cried Power” where Hozier sings passionately about prominent artists who came before him. This song serves as a tribute to a mix of iconic artists, like Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, John Lennon and more, who heavily influenced music and society in their time and continue to have an influence to this day.

“Shrike” is the eighth track on this album and it stood out to me because of the elegant and dulcet instrumentals that are played throughout. “Shrike” is melodious and soothing and when I first listened to it, it sounded like a sweet love song, but the lyrics are tinged with regret. The opening lyrics “I couldn’t utter my love when it counted” convey a feeling of remorse, and this theme is kept throughout the song as Hozier sings about love that has been lost.

“Would That I” is another song that stood out to me because of the intricate instrumentals and lyrics. “Would That I” starts off soft and mellow with Hozier characterizing his lover as all the beauty he saw in nature, but also expressing his sadness in the relationship. The song then increases in volume and tempo when the song reaches the chorus as Hozier contrasts his feelings of heartache from the first verse with a feeling of euphoria.

Hozier has proved once again that he’s an extremely versatile artist who doesn’t have one distinct sound, but many. He is an eloquent songwriter, with each verse and chorus written with great meaning and deliberation.

Wasteland, Baby!

is definitely an album worth listening to.

Written by Jamie Nguyen