With enough new songs from the Unreal Unearth recordings to cobble together another album release, Hozier keeps the wheels of his third record spinning with Hymn to Virgil. His consistent additions to his release last year are more a chance to showcase what did not cut, what great material was left over, than anything else. He may have peaked with Too Sweet but long may this reign of rewarding, subtle releases continue. Hozier holds a charm in the lyrical presence and, like many of the songs featured on Unreal Unearth, there is a vocal challenge present, an instrumental boom which puts those sharp writings to the test. These are personable tributes to a loved one, where the value of that closeness and companionship is incomparable.
Hozier has followed this route of unquestioning, unburdened love before and it often offers his sharpest material. Much the same for Hymn to Virgil, then. As much a collaborative process as it is a personable approach, Hozier’s additional writers seem to coax a new layer of gospel-like charm. Hozier at his best provides a call to arms with his punchy tones, his desire to offer the world to an individual. Those deeper vocal moments and the distortion they provide is a neat experiment from Hozier, and Hymn to Virgil, while cut from the first wave of Unreal Unearth, stands as a chance to explore new routes of the gospel-like art-pop he provides. This is a chance to connect to that religious upbringing a little more, an identity shed but still influencing the writing Hozier often ends up offering on these records. He may be the brightest spark of a lacklustre Leeds Festival lineup, but the real charms of his music are found in isolation.
Listen alone and listen well, because Hymn to Virgil is an unyielding and unbreakable love for someone which, if felt as Hozier feels, should be treasured. There are those lucky enough to have it and those who are still enjoying the chase for it. Either way, there is a chance to feel the love, to pursue the charms of Hozier at his very best. Too Sweet will remain the pinnacle of this – likely his best song of all and not just because of some TikTok clip. Those chimes, the charms and joys of his instrumental experimentation are felt just as much on Hymn to Virgil, a passionate display of wanting more not for the sake of sin and gluttony but because the other, loved party deserves it all. Hozier writes with a personal aim which just so happens to be a feeling for millions. It is not a capitalisation on emotional turmoil but a chance to find a new path through it.
Hymn to Virgil maintains the standard set by Unreal Unearth, a sincere shift in tone and values from the first two albums. The fact is, few are writing with the certainty and popular blend Hozier currently has. His works are exceptional and in the case of extra material like this, an expanded edition of Unreal Unearth feels like a wise investment. Lush material and frankly beautiful layers to words of earnest, heartfelt variety. Those references to Inferno should be no surprise considering the ancient Gods and the influence of historic texts on Hozier, particularly for his recent releases. It only adds to the exceptional flavour found in his instrumental mixtures, the depths of his writing go far beyond regurgitating what he learns from Dante, and those lessons are heard in Hymn to Virgil.
