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Irish singer-songwriter Hozier has premiered the music video for his latest single, ‘De Selby (Part 2)’.
The song is the fifth single from his third studio album, Unreal Unearth, released on the 18th of August. It follows his self-titled 2014 release that spawned the megahit ‘Take Me To Church’, and his critically acclaimed 2019 album Wasteland, Baby!. The album has 16 tracks and features previously released singles ‘Eat Your Young’, ‘Francesca’, and ‘All Things End’.
The video features Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, who is best known for appearing as Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter film franchise and has also appeared in the critically acclaimed About Time. Directed by Wolf James, the visual is a troubling depiction of self-sabotage.
The grayscale music video, which mixes in splashes of blood red, shows Gleeson’s character seemingly stuck in an endless loop of self-loathing, with the actor digging his own grave and beating himself to death with a shovel.
The character is seen drinking at a pub, standing on the beach, a hillside, and the ocean. Once he has killed himself, he wakes up – his punishment is seemingly the never-ending cycle. This seemingly links to Hozier’s desire to make the album a portrayal of the circles of hell.
The song itself features some haunting lyricism, laced with an electrifying instrumental. The title takes inspiration from the Irish literary classic The Third Policeman, in which the unnamed narrator becomes a fanatic of fictional scientist and philosopher ‘de Selby’.
The harrowing lyrics work well with the dark music video, with Hozier singing “I wanna run so far, I’d beat the mornin’ / Before the dawn has come, I’d block the sun / If you want it done”. The increasingly frantic actions of Gleeson’s character are complimented by the lyricism, with Hozier creating a sense of urgency throughout.
The song, which has already been performed live on Good Morning America and at a select number of the singer’s previous live shows, is sure to pack an extra punch when performed live. The Irish singer-songwriter is currently touring and has been at various fan meet-and-greet events across the country in the run-up to the album release.
The European leg of the Unreal Unearth tour starts in Stockholm on the 26th of November and concludes in Dublin on the 22nd of December. Tickets can be bought on his website, hozier.com.
Words by Tabitha Wilson
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