Songfacts®:

• "Wildflower and Barley" is a song woven with two threads: a yearning for something new and a recognition of the enduring power of nature. The song was originally intended for Hozier's 2023 album Unreal Unearth, inspired by Inferno, the first part of Dante's epic poem Divine Comedy. It eventually landed on Unheard, an EP comprising four tracks that were recorded for Unreal Unearth but did not make the final track listing.
• The song aligns with the album's exploration of the afterlife.
  
  Riverboat, wheelbarrow, wildflower and barley
  
  Words like "riverboat" can be interpreted in two ways: a typical sight along a riverbank, but also a symbolic reference to Charon's ferry, which carries souls across the River Styx into the underworld in Dante's work. This dual meaning reflects the broader themes of Unreal Unearth and Unheard.
• In a YouTube Premium video, Hozier described "Wildflower and Barley" as a love song composed during a period of forced isolation. While love is a theme, it's set against a backdrop of societal stasis and crisis.
  
  The song also celebrates the enduring power of the natural world. The lyrics reference "dirt" and "soil," symbols of the earth's ability to constantly renew and support life – a life force that transcends even the most difficult times. This concept connects back to Hozier's Unreal Unearth track "First Time."
• Hozier's "Wildflower and Barley" bloomed from the isolation of the 2020 lockdown. The song reflects on the natural world's resilience, drawing a parallel between a barley field and life itself. Just as a fallow field eventually bursts forth with wildflowers, nature finds a way to reclaim spaces left untended by humans. The repeated refrain of "wildflower and barley" evokes this image of untamed beauty pushing through.
  
  In an interview with Mexican radio station El Camino, Hozier spoke of the unsettling quiet that blanketed both cities and countrysides during the pandemic. "I kind of wrote a playful song around that," he said.
• The song is a duet with Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Russell. A seasoned musician, Montreal native Russell brings her experience from bands like Birds of Chicago and Po' Girl to the duet. Her solo career has also flourished, with two critically acclaimed albums on Fantasy Records: "Outside Child" and "The Returner." Russell's talent was recognized at the 2024 Grammys when she won her first award for Best American Roots Performance with "Eve Was Black."
• Hozier and Russell recorded the song with Hozier's producer Jeff "Gitty" Gitelman at EastWest Studio in LA.
  
  It's always a joy singing with Hozier," said Russell. "I've been fortunate to do so live on stage many times since we first met singing with Queen Mavis at Newport Folk Fest in 2019."
  
  "Recording Andrew's meditative masterpiece of a song 'Wildflower and Barley' was our first time in the studio together," she added. "Hozier and his co-producer, Jeff Gitty, were an absolute delight to work with and taught me a veritable Master's Class in the subtleties of vintage mics, plate reverb and sonic exploration during our day at EastWest Studio."