Five years ago, Irish singer-songwriter Andrew Hozier-Byrne, who records as Hozier, landed a huge and unexpected hit with his first single, “Take Me to Church.” He released his self-titled official debut the next year, toured behind it endlessly and eventually returned to the studio to work on his new four-song EP, “Nina Cried Power.”

The title track, referencing a Nina Simone lyric, serves as a tribute to past protest artists. It features an assist from Mavis Staples, and its accompanying video is an homage to Irish progressive activists.

The EP serves as a place setter for the singer’s sophomore full-length, which he estimates is 99 percent finished. In a recent interview, Hozier talked about recording with Staples, launching a comeback and why you should never read the comments section.

The following is an edited transcript.

Q: The title track of “Nina Cried Power” is an example of a song rising to meet the moment. It’s such an important moment, but it’s hard to know what to say.

A: Difficult times do call for a response from artists. It’s hard to know where to begin. I suppose that’s kind of the starting point of the song: What can be done? What can be said? My hope for that song was to point to the legacy of people who faced similar adversity during very difficult times, that there’s a precedent there. There’s a well of bravery, there’s hope to be drawn from.

Q: You and Mavis Staples look so happy in photos from the recording sessions.

A: It’s very easy to be happy around Mavis Staples. She is just one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. She exudes a limitless warmth and enthusiasm and kindness. On top of that, her natural kind of musicality and the way she approaches singing, she’s a legend.

Q: It’s an interesting song to return with. Did you ever have a sense that maybe you should do a splashy pop song?

A: Yes and no. I have to think like an artist, I can’t think like a label. I wasn’t all that worried. I’d never approached music in a traditional way. The first song I ever released was “Take Me to Church,” and it was so much easier then because I had nothing to lose, I was completely unknown. For this record, I just wanted to carry on and trust my gut as I had done the first time ’round. I wasn’t too worried that it had to be kind of flashy or poppy or whatever. It just needed to sound like me.

Q: Did you think, “I have to get something out. It’s been years”?

A: It is nice to be back, and it does feel like a returning, and there were a few cobwebs to dust off with regard to playing live. But I released the first record and toured that for two years. The last 12 months have been about preparing all of this work. This EP is really just the tip of the iceberg — there’s a heck of a lot more to come.

Q: You’ve said that these new songs have an “abiding sense of doom.” Were you kidding?

A: Kidding but not kidding. It’s there, but there’s a gallows humor to it. It definitely is informed by the end of something, the feeling of standing on the edge of a cultural dark age.

Allison Stewart is a freelance writer.