Sunday Sounds: August 23, 2020, “Wasteland, Baby!”
Samantha Colleran, August 2020
Hozier has always been one of my favorite artists, and today I wanted to highlight the title track of his second studio album, “Wasteland, Baby!”. This song closes the album, and it puts a twist on traditional love songs. It’s a song about finding love, yet this love sounds like it was pulled from an end-of-the-world movie. It evokes some sort of nostalgia, it makes you feel like holding the one you love a little tighter in fear of something taking it all away from you. It’s refreshing yet heartbreaking; it feels like a new beginning and a tragic ending at the same time. It’s all these strange emotions wrapped up into one four and a half minute long song, everything about it is beautiful.
Speaking about the song, Hozier said it’s “kind of a funny love song to somebody imagining the world as it is now and then imagining the worst case scenario and trying to enjoy, trying to still find joy and still find something worthwhile in the absolute worst case scenarios”.
I personally fell in love with the third verse “And that day that we’ll watch the death of the sun/ That the cloud and the cold and those jeans you have on/ And you’ll gaze unafraid as they sob from the city roofs”. Something about it struck a chord in me and twisted my heart a little harder than the other lyrics. I also love the lyric “Like the holding of hands, like the breaking of glass”, something about it feels so intimate, it feels like I’m invading Hozier’s thoughts and I shouldn’t be hearing something as personal as what he’s singing. Overall, it’s gorgeous and I fell in love with this song. Take a listen below and as always, let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Like you, I love Hozier. Had the pleasure of meeting him and his mother at an art gallery in Dumbo in 2014, right before his Saturday Night Live debut. His mother painted the cover of his album and original was on display. Lovely people.
The album cover is incredible, I was shocked to learn that it was a painting during his album promo! Love that you met him, he seems so genuine and down to earth.