Hozier, Nobody’s Soldier | Song Review 🎵

Grammy-nominated Irish singer/songwriter Hozier continues an awesome year with another stellar single, the anti-war-themed “Nobody’s Soldier.” 

“Honey, I’m taking no orders / Gonna be nobody’s soldier.” For a while, Grammy-nominated Irish singer/songwriter Hozier (Andrew Hozier-Byrne) looked like he was another one-hit-wonder.  While his music continued to shine post-“Take Me To Church”, success on the pop charts eluded him. That changed in 2024 when “Too Sweet” did something even “Take Me To Church” couldn’t – reach no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  “Too Sweet” gave Hozier new life after his 2023 album, Unreal Unearth spawned no hits.  Continuing to be prolific, he drops another ear-catching single with “Nobody’s Soldier”, the opening track of his Unaired (EP). Hozier-Byrne penned it alongside a team comprising Chakra (Daniel Krieger), Bēkon (Daniel Tannenbaum), Pete G (Peter Gonzales), Sergiu Gherman, and Stuart Johnson.  Lots of songwriters! Bēkon, Chakra, Gherman, and Pete G produced as well.

“Nobody’s Soldier” commences with a bombastic instrumental introduction. The chromatic lines are one of the biggest selling points. The French horns bring a vintage flair to the single. The riffs used throughout are ear-catching. The instrumental, with its colorful timbre and rhythmic nature, ‘kicks ass and takes names.’ Hozier has ‘pure illness’ to sing over.  His falsetto, which occurs during the verses is  ‘to die for.’ At the end of the first verse, he’s “Living the dream / Benzos and gasoline / Coffee and blue light screens till the morning.” Oh, my! Sounds unhealthy and disturbing. The lyrics remain intriguing in the second verse: “The paint on the walls / Come down like a waterfall / The goal I was aiming for was the wrong one.”  He doesn’t remain in falsetto, of course.  He shows off that powerful chest voice too! He’s back in the chest by the pre-chorus: “If I tell you this is drowning / You tell me I’m walking on water.” Oh, snap! He brings the heat on the infectious, tuneful chorus:

“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.”

Ooh-wee! Welcome contrast arrives during the bridge section, further upping the ante on this song. It’s hard to top some of Hozier’s best – “Take Me To Church” and more recently, “Too Sweet”.  But, “Nobody’s Soldier” marks another high point for the Irishman who’s had a terrific 2024. It excels thanks to top-notch songwriting (anti-war vibes), vocals, and production.

Hozier // Unaired (EP) // Rubyworks Ltd. / Columbia // 8.16.24

Hozier, Nobody’s Soldier [📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Rubyworks Ltd. / Columbia; ; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Królestwo Nauki, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pete Linforth, Tumisu from Pixabay]