It would be hard to write a review of a Hozier song without a reference to the sensational Take Me to Church, that well and truly put Hozier on the international music map, back in 2013. The Irish born artist enthuses styles that have influenced his musical journey, with blues and jazz traditions certainly appearing to shape some of the structures and melody lines. However, he isn’t just a one hit wonder, as he is steadily building up a strong body of work that Eat Your Young will add to. 

I must admit, I was a little concerned when I first read the title of the title track to Hozier’s latest album. My fears weren’t much eased when I listened to the first few sentences of the song. After trawling through a series of recent interviews I was able to hear from the man himself about the underpinning meaning to Eat Your Young. Thankfully, Hozier says that he wrote this as a ‘playful’ song, but as a commentary of destructive mindsets, and with that in my head, the concept and lyrics of Eat Your Young became a lot clearer. 

Often, the most beautiful melody lines are not complicated by intricate musical backing and this is the case with Eat Your Young. If you’ve heard Hozier before there is definitely a style and sound he has created that is quite special, with a dexterity in the vocal line a key feature. With a straight forward bass line and high in the mix drum pushing the rhythm, I was reminded initially of a late 90s Moby track, but as the layers are gradually added it becomes more reminiscent of a Bond theme. However, Hozier has a sound that others will always find hard to replicate, the soul in his voice and ability to write haunting melody lines is truly a gift and one that is in abundance in Eat Your Young.

Author: Phil Arnold

Phil Arnold is a musician, producer and music reviewer from Devon, in the South West of England. Whilst not writing music reviews, Phil also writes and records under the name of Ugbrooke.