U2 Release New EP Days of Ash

"Days of Ash is described in a press release as "an immediate response to current events and inspired by the many extraordinary and courageous people fighting on the frontlines of freedom." Four of the five tracks are about folks, including a mother, a father, and a teenage girl, whose lives were brutally cut short. In a statement, Bono explained that the EP's songs are "very different in mood and theme" from those on their upcoming album."

""These EP tracks couldn't wait; these songs were impatient to be out in the world," he said. "They are songs of defiance and dismay, of lamentation." He continued, "Songs of celebration will follow, we're working on those now... because for all the awfulness we see normalized daily on our small screens, there's nothing normal about these mad and maddening times, and we need to stand up to them before we can go back to having faith in the future. And each other.""

"Of the six tracks, "American Obituary" was inspired by Renée Nicole Good, the American woman who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this year. "One Life at a Time" was written for Awdah Hathaleen, a Palestinian father of three, nonviolent activist, and teacher who was killed by an Israeli settler, while "Song of the Future" honors the life of 16-year-old Sarina Esmailzadeh, one of thousands of Iranian schoolgirls who took to the streets as part of the Woman, Life, Freedom"

U2 released a surprise six-track EP, Days of Ash, on Ash Wednesday, preceding a new album planned for late 2026. The EP is described as an immediate response to current events and is inspired by courageous people fighting on the frontlines of freedom. Four of the five tracks focus on individuals whose lives were brutally cut short, including Renée Nicole Good, Awdah Hathaleen, and 16-year-old Sarina Esmailzadeh. Bono said the EP's songs differ in mood and theme from the forthcoming album and called them songs of defiance, dismay, and lamentation. The EP is paired with a one-off return of U2's zine, Propaganda.

Read at Consequence