Sept. 6 marked a rare and joyous occasion for Hozier fans everywhere: the release of the “Nina Cried Power” EP, Hozier’s first new music since his single written for 2016 blockbuster “The Legend of Tarzan.”
The EP opens with the title track, which Hozier describes as “a song about protest songs.” It’s dedicated to–and featuring one of–Hozier’s artist/activist heroes. “Nina” is none other than Nina Simone, one of the most iconic artist/activists of the 20th century, and the song continues to name legends such as James Brown, B.B. King and Woody Guthrie, as well as many others who have left indelible marks on music and society. One of these legends, gospel singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples, adds her incomparably soulful vocals to the track, driving home the song’s urgent message of fighting towards a common goal amidst political turmoil: “And I could cry power / Power has been cried by those stronger than me / Straight into the face that tells you to rattle your chains / If you love bein’ free.” Though the song starts off with your average alt-rock beat and melody, each chorus crescendos in a gospel-like medley of voices that separates the song from the rest of Hozier’s catalog.
The video for “Nina Cried Power” features the genuine reactions of Irish activists upon hearing the song for the first time, as well as Mavis Staples and Hozier themselves. The work of these activists, who fight for a wide range of things including racial and gender equality, was further bolstered by footage of various protests being projected behind each of them.
Also featured on the album is another one of Hozier’s musical heroes: Booker T. Jones, frontman of seminal blues/funk band Booker T. and the M.G.’s. Jones arranged parts of the EP and plays organ on three of the four songs, including the second track, “NFWMB.” This song brings a complete tonal shift, slowing things down and returning to Hozier’s usual lyrical subject: love and relationships. The refrain of the song, “Nothing fucks with my baby,” is certainly a stylistic expansion for Hozier, though it may not be one his most prolific lines ever written.
The third song, “Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue),” continues with a similar theme, where Hozier makes yet another political statement. This time, it’s about the overpowering of religion when it comes to sexuality. Backed by a catchy guitar riff, in which Jones’s influence is unmistakable, Hozier details his frustration with religious moralism. “What yields the need for those who lead us oh so morally / Those that would view the same we do through their deformity / Who view the deed as power’s creed, as pure authority / This moment’s silence when my baby puts their mouth on me.”
Hozier finishes off on an optimistic note with his most sonically different song yet: “Shrike.” What sets it apart, you ask? His brogue. For the first time, Hozier lets his Irish accent come through in his singing, which soars above chirpy, Irish folk-tinged guitar. The shrike, a bird notorious for impaling its prey on thorny branches, is how Hozier sees himself after the end of a relationship he longs for once again, the thorn, his ex-partner. “I was housed by your warmth / But I was transformed / By your grounded and giving and darkening scorn / Remember me love, when I’m reborn / As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn.”
Hozier has plans for a full-album release sometime in 2019. To see updates on that project as well as his current tour, go to Hozier.com.
