By EMILY PAOLICELLI
Arts Editor
Hozier returns with his first full-length album since 2014. “Wasteland, Baby!” which was released on March 1, 2019, has been long-awaited by fans who have recently been teased with singles, extended plays, and hints from Hozier himself about the content, inspiration, and production of the album.
“Wasteland, Baby!” has songs of love, yearning, and, perhaps more notably, political significance. The album begins with three familiar songs that have been previously released as a single or on Hozier’s most recent extended play, “Nina Cried Power.”
The opening song, “Nina Cried Power,” is a call for change, encouraging listeners to consider actions they can take to make the changes they hope for, rather than taking measures that may seem to be promoting change on a small scale, but fall short of the big picture.
The first song on the album that was not previously released is titled “No Plan.” The lyrics speak of the ephemeral nature of living, taking on the breezy, live-in-the-moment mentality. However, when paired with the bass-heavy, distorted music under it, that mentality leaves its typical lighthearted connotation and becomes a much deeper, almost pessimistic notion. This notion seems to follow through many other titles on the album.
The final track, “Wasteland, Baby!,” was nothing at all like what I had expected it to be. It was revealed some months prior to the album’s release that the track would tell the story of two people falling in love at the end of the world. This dark premise of the lyrics would typically lead one to expect an equally dark tone in the instrumentation, similar to the heavier tone of tracks like “No Plan” and “Talk.”
However, upon listening to “Wasteland, Baby!,” dark instrumentation is nowhere to be found. Instead, there’s a much more whimsical feel to the music, created by an acoustic guitar and fluttering, ethereal sounds that almost resemble windchimes.
The only hint of abnormality in the track is an effect layered over Hozier’s vocals that create a wavering, almost shaking effect. As the song slows to an end, we hear Hozier faintly whisper, “that’s it,” essentially dismissing the listener from the album.
For songs like “No Plan” and “Wasteland, Baby!,” the contrast of the themes of the lyrics Hozier with the music that it’s paired with almost gives any cliches an excuse to be cliche. Even the songs that speak positively of love are accompanied by distorted guitar riffs and harmonies from an organ and choir, giving off the impression that Hozier is experiencing love almost as if it’s a religious experience. Everybody has heard love songs, especially those previously released by Hozier, but we have not necessarily heard them as they appear on “Wasteland, Baby!”
The album as a whole sounds much different than his first album, “Hozier.” Key differences include the more soulful tone and new instrumentation that seem to chase the otherworldly “religious experience” that avid Hozier fans claim to experience when listening to his music. Many songs on “Wasteland, Baby!” use organ and vocals from a choir, which emulates the feeling of being in a church.
Hozier released an extended edition of “Wasteland, Baby!” along with the normal edition, which includes two other songs that were previously released on the “Nina Cried Power” extended play in additon to the songs on the original edition of the album. Hozier is currently on his “Wasteland, Baby!” tour, and played at the Palace Theatre in Albany on March 11, 2019.
