After waiting five years Andrew Hozier-Byrne, folk, releases his new album Wasteland, Baby! Containing 14 songs, Hozier’s new work is heavily influenced by politics and the heaviness of love. He meshes his folk Irish roots with softer tunes and the result is spectacular.

The sound produced by Hozier is almost Gospel-like because of his raw booming voice and the soft melodies that float with his words. The guitar behind every song on the album ranges from smooth to subtle alongside the resonating sound of a grand piano to an almost electrifying fizz as in “Nina Cried Power.”

Hozier uses both jazz and soul in this new album for a fresh take on the tech beats of today’s music. He acknowledges the fights that have occured over time, such as civil wars and slavery, and how the fighting never really ends but only subsides. The result is an emotional and thunderous message addressed to the masses.

The soft spoken man wields not only power with his sonorous voice but demands attention. He touches base on topics such as the simplicity of happiness and the social anxiety that resides within us all. Hozier looks at the darkness in the world and puts the listener on a pedestal of optimism in hope for the change that will come with the newfound knowledge he offers.