Hozier has today (August 16) shared a powerful new political single called ‘Nobody’s Solider’ – check it out below.
The song is taken from his new EP, ‘Unaired’, which has also been released today. ‘Nobody’s Soldier’ was initially debuted by Hozier recently during his headline set at Lollapalooza 2024 and followed on from another new song, ‘July’, which he shared on social media last month.
A statement about ‘Nobody’s Solider’ says it “highlights the hugely problematic issues of global arms dealing.”
The powerful new song hear’s Hozier sing: “I don’t wanna choose between being a salesman or a soldier / Just let me look a little older / Let me step a little bolder / Choose between being a butcher or a pauper / Honey, I’m taking no orders / Gonna be Nobody’s Soldier.”
Listen to it here:
In a note to fans about the new song and EP, Hozier said: “Dear Souls, I want to thank each and everyone of you for everything over this past year. It’s been a privilege to travel and play the music and be met with so much love and support. This has been a very special time for me, thank you all sincerely.
“‘Nobody’s Soldier’, which some of you may have heard live already, ‘July’ the sister song of ‘Wildflower And Barley,’ written while awaiting the pandemic’s passing, and ‘That You Are,’ a song that I was blessed to write with Bedouine [Syrian-American folk artist] in Los Angeles and record together shortly after.
“I sincerely hope you enjoy these additional songs from this chapter. Thank you again for your support, I hope to see some of you at a show soon!”
Hozier’s four-track ‘Unheard’ EP followed his 2023 studio album ‘Unreal Unearth’, which earned the artist his first-ever UK Number One LP.
In a four-star review of the record, NME wrote: “Hozier not only navigates different genres on ‘Unreal Unearth,’ but chooses between moments of sparseness, like the minimalist ‘To Someone From A Warm Climate (Uiscefhuarithe)’ while also making space for expansive tracks.”
It continued: “Hozier’s vocal abilities are on full display across ‘Unreal Unearth,’ but much like the album’s instrumentals, it’s his understanding of when to give more understated performances, as on gentle ‘I, Carrion (Icarian)’ or to go full-force, like on the end of pared-back ‘Unknown/Nth’, that make the songs triumph.”
Speaking to NME last summer, Hozier reflected on the current political and social climate across the globe, and stated that he felt the LGBTQ+ community were being targeted as scapegoats.
His Lollapalooza 2024 show last week also saw him call for a ceasefire in Gaza ahead of playing ‘Nobody’s Soldier’.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter where you come from,” Hozier said. “It doesn’t matter if you are an Israeli citizen or Palestinian citizen – you wouldn’t want to see any human being be subject to the kind of terror we have been witnessing.”
In other news, Hozier covered The Band‘s song ‘The Weight’ with Mavis Staples, Joan Baez and more at the Newport Folk Festival last month.
The post Listen to Hozier’s powerful political new single ‘Nobody’s Solider’ appeared first on NME.