Hozier is an Irish musician who needs little introduction. He is a phenomenal song-writer, hit maker, and has a decade of music under his belt. This past Friday, he released his third studio album, Unreal Unearth. Amongst the highlights for me is a song called, “Damage Gets Done” featuring the 9x Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, Brandi Carlile.

“Damage Gets Done” is a song that reflects on youth. It’s a song that not only captures nostalgia sonically, with plucky strings and a lively hook that relishes in its larger than life aura, but narratively, as it eloquently describes youthful memories. In the first verse, Hozier provides vivid imagery in the first two lines, “Without shame, two outfits then to my name / You'd end up in one when you'd stay.” With this single image, Hozier tells us a lot. He tells us about his relationship with this other person, in that they’re close enough to share clothes (likely implying a young lover), even though unashamedly, the speaker only has two outfits. Beyond that, it highlights themes that the song touches on throughout. One of those themes being discussed directly at the end of the second verse, “I miss when we did not need much.” In having only two outfits, the speaker only has what they need. Furthermore, it highlights the silliness and recklessness that only teenagers can get away with. The next two lines of the first verse explore these themes as well, “We had nowhere to go and every desire for going there / I heard once, it's the comforts that make us feel numb.” In the third verse, Brandi highlights this nearly universal teenage experience as well, “Oh, if the car ran, the car was enough / If the sun shone on us, it's a plus / And the tank was always filled up / Only enough for our gettin' there.” There isn’t much in one’s life that compares to getting their first car. And when those kids have little to no responsibilities, there is just joy in getting in the car and driving around, taking delight in the freedom of exploring the world. 

In capturing these nearly universal teenage experiences, Hozier and Brandi interweave the most important message of the song. In the first pre-hook, Hozier sings, “Wish I had known it was just our turn / Being blamed for a world we had no power in.” Hozier discusses the inherent irony of teenagers generationally being blamed for all the problems of the world, given their lack of control over the society they live in. When Hozier was a kid, it was his generation’s turn to be blamed for the problems of the world. After him, the cycle will continue. In the hook, Hozier and Brandi thoughtfully assert that, “Darlin', I haven't felt it since then / I don't know how the feelin' ended / But I know being reckless and young / Is not how the damage gets done.” In doing so, Hozier and Brandi attempt to free the burden of blame from the shoulders of younger generations, asserting that being reckless and young is not how the world gets damaged. If anything, the reckless nature of youth can only affect them. Driving nowhere, sleeping on floors, and sharing t-shirts, is not why the world is screwed up. Ever since the 1950’s, following the end of Industrialization and child labor, America was first introduced to the concept of a “teenager,” a weird middle ground between childhood and adulthood. This bridge between thresholds was where a person would grow, mature, and start becoming their own independent and free thinking person. This led to a lot of tension between generations. The dynamic between the parent culture (as in larger culture, not exclusively the culture of ‘parents’), and the subcultures of youth have always been a blame game of pointing fingers, in which (oftentimes) the parent culture refuses to take responsibility for their own mistakes, and in turn, the subculture rebels, thus creating a feedback chamber of tension, angst, and blame. “Damage Gets Done” explores these themes, which have never been more prevalent as Millennials and Gen Z are dealing with the consequences of expensive housing markets, minimal job opportunities, rapid inflation, costly higher education, etc. When a young generation is paying the price for the mistakes of past generations (to be fair, mistakes that they couldn’t foresee), that young generation, in many ways, is boxed in. They are forced into financial prisons and situations they don’t want to be in, working jobs they don’t want to work, all while learning and paying for things they don’t want to learn or pay for. No choice but to chase dirt paychecks and appraise their self worth through materialism are the habits that these kids are forced to grow into, of course no longer in a time where they don’t “need much” to be happy. The last thing that this younger generation needs to hear is that it's their fault because they are reckless, lazy, etc. Now that they’ve made it to the other side, Hozier and Brandi speak on behalf of the youth, because it seems like no one else will, thus breaking the cycle. They remember what a lot of the parent cultures forget: what it was like to be young. 

On “Damage Gets Done”, Brandi and Hozier have remarkable chemistry. They accompany each other well both vocally and narratively. The melodies in the pre-chorus and hook are so passionate, powerful, and spine chilling. Every ounce of this track was filled to the brim with heartfelt vocal performances and intimate lyrical content. Not a second of this song was wasted nor compromised for anything other than exactly what the music needed. “Damage Gets Done” is eloquently written, wonderfully performed, well produced and engineered, and among the best songs I’ve heard so far this year. Take a step back, reflect on your youthful days, and better understand the beauty in reaching out a hand to others rather than pointing a finger at them. Unreal Unearth is available everywhere.

Author: Jordan

Jordan Wisniewski is a passionate writer and Hip-Hop artist from North Carolina, US.