#first light hozier

[sylvies-chen]

me when First Light comes on and suddenly the chords are swelling and the lyrics are of finding out even hell has a way out and the relief of seeing the sky again and the music is music-ing and I ascend to another plane of existence in true hozier stan fashion

[crow-in-a-teapot]

unreal unearth first impressions

OKAY REALISING I AM RELISTENING TO THIS ALBUM FOR THE HUNDREDTH TIME JUST TODAY ACCIDENTALLY SO IIM GONNA QUICKLY WRITE DOWN MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS BC IM ALREADY BEGINNING TO ACTUALY THINK ABOUT THINGS AND LOOK AT LYRICS AND READ OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS, so here is an only slightly tainted not quite first impression of unreal unearth from me (obviously the singls ive heard before but)

de selby (part 1) i turned on the album sitting in the absolute dark, ten minutes past twelve at night, this started playing, cue instant tears. i think i was just hit with 'this is the most beautiful thing ive ever heard' and i wasn't expecting that from de selby 1 for some reason. and when the irish kicked in that just. no words, just crying and im what two minutes in. i wasn't even thinking about what he'd been saying about connemara in the dark and mirrors of people you used to know (i'd seen him talk about it, but purposefully skipped the actual song when it came up online) it was just. de selby 1. and the part as gaeilge

de selby (part 2) sexy groovy silly fun, it's really growing on me, thinking about 'i'd still know you, not being shown you

i only need the workin' of my hands' also i cant wait to read third policeman and look at this completely differently

first time the beginning was jarring, and then at the lyric about his name i kind of :( i also liked the lethe/liffey parallel, it's so very hozier of him to do that. god the push and pull of there must have been something off from the beginning? if every time they called him baby he died? something like that was my first interpretation, now im wondering if it's because it's not his name and they're the one that made his name sound wonderful for once. intellectualising that part of the lyrics kind of ruins it for me ngl, i think it's more about how it feels, i think it feels like contrast like not knowing if it hurts or is wonderful. little detail of when he says come here to me and it sounds so casual and irish like come here to me tell me, i really love it. and the final lyric hurt. really impeccable timing for a breakup album like

francesca why can't i listen to i'd tell them put me back in it for the first time again WHY CAN'T I LISTEN TO I'D TELL THEM PUT ME BACK IN IT FOR THE FIRST TIME AGAIN AND REEXPERIENCE THAT. my favourite thing from this hozier era might just be that music video (over all the other ones help)

i, carrion (icarian) is just really devastating. sunlight but what if you wanted your heart to be torn to shreds. the imagery is so vivid

eat your young is growing on me too, the lyrics are just so good. they're just SO GOOD, their rhythm is so satisfying they fit together so smoothly, and at this point it's just as fun and danceable as something like de selby 2

damage gets done is kind of pop? it made me think of the bones ft marren morris

who we are [had to remove a section here] the vocals are otherwordly. the drums are gorgeously frantic. quietly it slips through your fingers love??? falling from you drop by drop??? HOLD ME LIKE A KNIFE???makes me physically ache

son of nyx i'm so glad this is here, an instrumental was something that really could put me back to where i was mentally with de selby (part 1). first thing i thought was i can't wait to learn the piano part. i've seen people say this, but it does seem like the obvious, it's an instrumental that just belongs in a movie

all things end all things do end so real. very cool how much of a direct inflence gospel music is

to someone from a warm climate (uiscefhuarithe) i can't wait to relisten to this one again and again, the parallels between being a child warming up a bed and jumping to later in time with a lover aaaa so tender NATURAL AS ANOTHER LEG AROUND YOU IN THE BEDFRAME AAAA

butchered tongue A FAVOURITE A FAVOURITE foreigner's god but softer, how can i listen to this and ever leave ireland how can i listen to this and feel like this and be packing suitcases what is wrong with meeeeee. the violin and the instrumence. jesus christ. instantly picturing my road signs when he started singing about the native ones

anything but THIS SONG STARTED AND I INSTANTLY STARTED SMILING COMPLETELY INVOLUNTARILY, THOUGHT OF ALMOST (SWEET MUSIC) i started thinking of bright lion king imagery before he even started talking about stampedes and hoofbeats. and the vocals here too, so overwhelmed by how cheerful and joyous it sounded that i really didnt pay attention to lyrics, so it'll be cool to look deeper later

abstract (psychopomp) the production here i was very unsure about, because there was something that made me think if it were more rustic/intrumental and less modern, it might have hit me even harder, like there might have been a way to elevate it further. it made me think of colours and purples and reds and oranges, another really visual song, like i, carrion. it's really gorgeous. SEE HOW IT SHINES will be in my head for a long long time... ugh it's all so bittersweet and sad and beautiful. all my love and terror there balanced between those eyes what a line

unknown / nth if you've scrolled through my accunt for longer than a second you know how i feel about unknown / nth

first light i was hit with such intense terror that this was the last song of the album. what am i supposed to do for the next decade without music to look forward to while andrew goes back into hibernation under bray train station jean jacket lost and found or whatever. so i didnt play and instead did this musing on how beautiful the vocals throughout the album are and how funny it was in the zach sang interview when he talked about singing instead of playing instruments when recording songs because he's 'better at singing than most intruments' and his producer just wouldnt replace those voice recordings and that's why there are so many choirs and zach is basically like 'you absolute weirdo no one else has the talent to do that but ok' (affectionate) (paraphrasing). i love the drums so much. i love the strings so much too. A VOICE YOUR BODY JUMPS TO CALLING OUT YOUR NAME :(((((((((((( imagining hearing this in the 3arena and having colours break out across the whole ceiling ill remember those lights during no plan in 2019 forever im an indoor concert girlie forever what they can do visually is so magical.. i saw a good omens edit of this today already i love you good omens fans

not to sound like a broken record i wish swan upon leda and through me the flood and love of were on this and maybe even but the wages and

[koifishanonymous]

could this be how everyday begin? *starts ascending*

[weirdgirlvampire]

I would like to give a shoutout to whoever’s making hozier come like that

[jesuisserieux]

do it. write the fic.

Alright bestie @passiveaggressivegummybear I don't know how you pulled the motivation out of me but here's a drabble. For anyone who doesn't know this is in response to this post I made about Hozier's new album Unreal Unearth, which if you haven't listened to, I HIGHLY recommend. I can't promise actually writing a fic for each song, but here's one based on First Light, because it made me weep. Sorry this is like a month late lmao. Also sorry if it's not what you were expecting, I am physically incapable of writing things without happy endings atm. I hope you like it!

Read it on ao3 here!

Could This Be How Every Day Begins?

            R wakes slowly, blinking sleepily in the faint golden light filling the room. He’s awake early, he realizes, which is unusual for him. He turns, to look at the clock on his bedside table, but he’s not in his room and he’s not looking at the clock. There, on his other side, sleeps Enjolras. He’s still, his breathing deep and even, and he is beautiful illuminated in the light of the new day. Grantaire just stares at him for a minute, not even trying to think about how he got here, just enjoying this sight he never thought he’d get to have. He thinks back to the night before, despite how unreal it all still feels.

~

            He had been anxious. He and Enjolras had been getting along so much better this past year and Grantaire was about to ruin it all with his stupid feelings. But he had to tell him. He’d talked extensively with Joly and Bossuet about it, and everyone agreed their friendship would always be a little bit weird if R never told him how he felt. He’d always be wondering “what if?” about things. They were definitely right, and it was definitely the mature adult thing to do, but that didn’t mean it didn’t make him want to throw up. There was no way Enjolras was just going reciprocate. Probably. Joly and Bossuet (and also Eponine and Courf and Bahorel and-) had been insistent that there was evidence that Enjolras liked him back. They were biased though, they had to be, they were his best friends!

            But the bottom line was Enjolras deserved to know. He deserved to know how disgustingly and totally Grantaire was in love him, and if he didn’t want to be friends after, that would be okay. It wouldn’t be okay, a voice in his head said, it would take months, maybe years to recover from. But that wasn’t Enjolras’s problem. Another more sensible voice in his head pointed out that, even when (if) Enjolras turned him down, he wouldn’t be mean about it. There’s pretty much nothing Enjolras cared for more than his friends, and if Grantaire had already made that cut, then a love confession wasn’t likely to push him over the edge. But still, his brain was echoing what if what if what if? all the way to Enjolras’s door.

            “Hey,” Enjolras’s smile was like the sun when he greeted him, “are you still up for Pride and Prejudice?”

            “You know it.”

            It was an inside joke between them (they had inside jokes now!) that Enjolras had never seen a movie before. It was completely untrue obviously, but it felt like every time Grantaire made a movie reference he inevitably ended up explaining the whole plot of the film because Enjolras didn’t know it. Eventually, they’d just started writing down all the movies he needed to show Enjolras. Pride and Prejudice was at the top of the list because Enjolras had read the book, so he’d actually know what was going on. Grantaire hadn’t thought that choice through when he was planning out a love confession.

            The movie had finished, Enjolras discreetly wiping away a few tears, and then they were sitting on the couch just talking. It was far too late, but Enjolras didn’t seem to care, and R certainly didn’t. The conversation was easy, like it almost always was now. He was in the middle of telling him how he felt before he even realized he’d begun. He felt weirdly calm. This was Enjolras. He could talk to him about anything. And the feeling of that, that surety, made him tear up a little. He felt a hand on his and looked up. Enjolras was watching him raptly, looking a little teary himself.

            “So yeah, basically I’m in love with you. Not basically, I love you. That’s it.” Aaaand the nerves came rushing back. Never let it be said it was an eloquent confession.

            Enjolras squeezed his hand, so tight it almost hurt. “Do you really mean that?”

            R was taken aback, “Of course I-” but that was all he got out before he was being kissed, passionately, awkwardly, and most importantly by Enjolras. He grabbed Enjolras’s waist on instinct alone, pulling him closer, practically into his lap.

            Enjolras pulled back a few inches. “I love you too. I’ve loved you for a while.” He smiled shyly.

            “Really?”

            Enjolras nodded, some of R’s nerves reflected in his face. “Are you sure?”

            R’s brain was still coming back online after that kiss. “Sure of what?”

            “That you love me.”

            R laughed out loud, “Did you hear everything I just said, Ange?”

            Enjolras flushed red, “Yes of course I just mean- sometimes, you don’t want it to be reciprocated. Or… I don’t know you could’ve changed your mind now that you know how I feel. It’s okay if you do!” he added hurriedly, though his expression seemed to contradict that statement.

R kissed him. Enjolras melted into it almost immediately, throwing his arms around his neck. “I meant it. I mean it,” said R between kisses, “I love you. I’ve been in love with you pretty much forever, ask any of our friends.”

“Okay.” Enjolras twined his fingers in R’s hair. He still looked uncharacteristically shy. “I love you,” he said again, like he just had to say it. Grantaire had felt like his heart would burst. He just had to kiss him again. And once he’d started, he couldn’t really think of a reason to stop.

~

            In the light of morning, Enjolras stirs. His eyes blink open slowly, a far off look in them. Then, as if he can sense Grantaire looking at him, awareness sparks in his eyes, and he turns his head. His whole body relaxes when he sees R. He makes eye contact and smiles, a small and joyful smile.

            “Hi,” says Enjolras. God he’s beautiful.

            “Hi,” says R, and then, “God you’re beautiful,” because he can.

            Enjolras blushes and slides a little farther under the covers. It’s adorable. “So are you,” he says. Before Grantaire can make a self-deprecating remark, he continues, “I love you.”

            R can feelhimself grinning like an idiot. “I love you too.” He leans into give him a good morning kiss.

When he tries to deepen it, Enjolras pulls back, “Stop, my breath is disgusting.”

“I don’t care, I love you. Bad breath and all.”

“Gross,” says Enjolras, but he allows himself to be pulled in for another kiss.

~

            When Grantaire finishes brushing his teeth, he steps into the kitchen to find Enjolras is making them breakfast.

            “Hey,” he says smiling, and Grantaire realizes that that look on his face isn’t new. How did he miss how Enjolras lights up when he sees him? He’s going to get such an earful from their friends later. “Are banana pancakes okay?” asks Enjolras, like he’s worried they really won’t be. Like he doesn’t want to fuck this up just as much as Grantaire. “They’re not fancy or anything, but I’m pretty good at making them and I-”

            “They’re perfect,” says R, “I love pancakes of any kind.”

            “Great.” Enjolras hands him a cup of coffee and then leans in to pour creamer. “Cream no sugar, right?”

            Grantaire nods, watches him pour with a small amount of awe. It’s possible, that this whole time he’s been noticing things about Enjolras, that Enjolras has been noticing things about him. Wow how did it take them this long to get their shit together?

            Enjolras smiles and goes back to watching the stove. His hair has a coppery tinge in the light of the sunrise. The sky is beautiful right now, an explosion of colors painting them both in shades of gold and rust.

            R must be staring, because Enjolras turns back questioningly, “What?”

            “Nothing,” says R, “I just can’t believe I get to have this now.”

            Enjolras’s smile is brighter than the sunrise.

[i-have-all-these-freakin-uwus]

First light is so big bang coded

[feluart]

I just need him to be happy thank you

[consultingfujoshi]

check in on your local good omens fans today everyone hozier just dropped a new album

[sharmanswife]

Headers inspired by Unreal Unearth by Hozier. Do not claim as yours, use all you want.

Wasteland, Baby! (8 headers)

[julymusings]

jason todd is sooo unreal unearth coded. he fr made the journey through the depths of hell and then clawed his way back out. he broke the surface of the earth, covered in worms and decomposed carcasses with dirt and blood lodged under his fingernails that won't ever wash out, saw that first light of dawn in the night sky and said "after this i'm never gonna be the same. and i am NEVER going back again."

[angelofsmalldeaath]

first light — a.h.b.

cw: mentions of bad mental health

“there you are,” i lean against the doorframe, watching him manoeuvre in the darkness. it’s barely past four, barely even light out, and yet there he is, fumbling around the kitchen. 

“shit, did i wake you?” he whispers even though he doesn’t need to, and goes back to what he was doing. 

when i squint my eyes a little i realise he’s gathering supplies for coffee. 

“it’s four…”

he nods, his back to me. 

“in the morning…”

another nod. i push myself off the doorframe and walk up to him. 

his hair is sleep-mussed, his t-shirt more wrinkled than usual, like he's been tossing and turning. i wrap my arms around him and kiss his back. 

“why won’t you look at me?”

he shrugs, i feel the muscles of his back move against my cheek. “‘s dark, love, won’t be able to see you anyway.”

i poke him in the ribs, finally eliciting a response. “we have electricity, you know?”

he sighs, deflates more like it, and finally turns, still in my arms, except now my chin rests on his chest as opposed to his back. i look up, trying to make out his features in the twilight. 

“there,” he pauses, makes it a point to stare right into my eyes, “i’m looking at you now.”

i can make out the vague shape of his face. even as my eyes adjust, and i see the one small curl dropping on his forehead, it’s hard to see the rest of him, hard to see the precise green of his eyes or the russet of his beard. 

“can i turn on the lights, please?”

“no, dont!” he wraps his hand around my wrist, gentle but firm. “this feels better.”

i’m about to say something when the kettle comes to a boil. he turns again and i try not to let him go from my arms but he moves anyway. ultimately, i drop them, letting them hang awkwardly at my sides. 

“coffee?”

“do you not plan on going back to bed?”

“not really, no.”

like always he puts two teaspoons of coffee in the french press, pours the hot water on top. i watch him, still turned away from me, silent, thinking. not entirely there. 

“did you ever go to bed?”

“of course i did, darling,” he laughs airily, “i was right next to you all night.”

“that’s not how i mean it and you know it.” the sternness in my voice surprises us both. still, he doesn’t turn. his shoulders sag, his head bows low, and in the dim light, i see a slight shudder pass through him. 

“i couldn’t…”

“bad dreams?”

“bad dreams?!” he laughs bitterly, “what am i, five?”

worry gnaws at my insides, and i hesitate, wondering how much to push. it’s he who first breaks the silence. “just…thoughts. not bad but not…not very nice ones.”

he clears his throat and goes through all the practiced motions—presses the french press down gently, takes out two mugs, his a plain black, mine littered with hand-painted daisies from one of our date nights. somehow in the darkness he manages not to spill a single drop. instead he lingers, takes a second to himself before he turns and offers my mug to me.

“thanks,” i wrap my hand around it and savour the warmth for just the fraction of a second. “can we sit?”

“i really don’t want to move.”

“right…” i walk up to him, standing side by side until our arms touch, and sit, right there on the kitchen floor with my back against the dishwasher. i have to crane my neck a lot to finally look at him wordlessly, he sits too, moves closer to me until our thighs touch and our arms press against each other. 

he still seems so far away. 

gently i intertwine my fingers with his, tracing the pads of his fingers and the light dusting of hair on his knuckles. “should we talk or would you rather sit in silence?”

“a bit heavy to have this chat at the crack of dawn, don’t you think?”

“i don’t mind it if you don’t,” i take a sip of my coffee and cringe at the lack of sugar. right. it’s black. 

my reaction doesn’t go unnoticed though. for the first time that day, he laughs. no that’s not it, he snorts, like he’s teasing me. “i forgot to put in your million sugars.”

“it’s two!” i protest, “and a splash of milk, it’s nothing outrageous!” but the smile on his face lingers just another moment and a smidge of weight lifts off my chest. 

“things must be…abysmal,” i nudge his knee with mine, “if you forgot how i take my coffee.”

for a while he’s silent, watching as the sky lightens—from dark blue to purple to a smidge of pink and orange. it’s not fully light out yet, but i suspect it won’t be long now. 

“a little,” he admits quietly, like it’s a secret he’s only just revealing. “i’ve been trying to hide it from you. a bit shitty of me, really, i’d be upset if you hid something like this from me. if you were struggling,” he swallows, “mentally. and i didn’t know about it. wasn’t there to help you…”

i bring his hand to my mouth, kiss his palm. “it is…upsetting,” i admit, “but i’d like to know now. or–or whenever you’re ready, whenever you want to talk.”

he sighs deeply, rests his head on top of mine. “maybe when it’s not five in the morning.”

i smile when i hear the laugh in his voice, stare at our intertwined hands and how well they fit together.

“how d’you know it’s five?”

“the sun’s up,” he points towards the window with his mug, and i see it there—the sky, no longer purple with a hint of pink. within a few seconds it seems to have erupted with colours; yellow and orange and red and pink and gold. 

a small ray of sunshine even wanders into our kitchen. 

i look at him, finally visible to me in the first light of the morning. then i kiss his temple and he smiles. it’s a small, tentative thing, but it’s there and it’s real and it stays. 

“there you are,” i whisper, failing to contain a smile of my own. 

“there i am,” he whispers, finally turns to look at me. for a moment his gaze lingers on my lips and i take that as my cue to press my lips against his��mine chapped and dry, his tasting like coffee.

“i think it will be a…decent day,” he declares and sets his empty mug aside. “can we go to bed now?”

“you’d like that?”

“yeah…” he gently touches my cheek with his knuckle and i lean into his touch, closing my eyes briefly. when i open them, he’s staring at me, letting his eyes roam all over my face. “i think i’d love that.”

[weltonboys]

jackie & wilson - hozier / either/or: a fragment of life - søren keirkegaard / first love/late spring - mitski

[sweetmapple]

Give your heart and soul to charity,

‘cause the rest of you, the best of you,

honey, belongs to me

[somequicknewmusic]

What you're given, what you live in / Darling, it finds a way to live in you.

[paddington-two]

one thing hozier's gonna do is make a no-skip album

[kidovna]

hozier having released unreal unearth right after good omens season 2 came out and now releasing the four track EP on will byers’ birthday. this one’s for the gay yearners