Bono has unveiled U2’s new Days Of Ash EP, calling it “a reaction to present day anxieties.”
Released on Ash Wednesday, the five-track project (plus a poem) pairs lyric videos with a special issue of the band’s magazine, Propaganda.
The songs tackle urgent real-world events: American Obituary mourns Renee Good, killed by ICE in Minnesota; Song Of The Future honors Iranian teen activist Sarina Esmailzadeh; One Life At A Time remembers a Palestinian teacher killed in the West Bank; and Yours Eternally features Ed Sheeran and Ukrainian musician-soldier Taras Topolia in a letter from the frontlines of war.
Bono said the EP’s tracks “couldn’t wait; these songs were impatient to be out in the world…songs of defiance and dismay, of lamentation.” He promises the upcoming 2026 album will be more “defiantly joyful,” balancing celebration with the serious times the band continues to confront.
Collaboration highlights include late-night studio sessions with Sheeran, a reading of Yehuda Amichai’s poem Wildpeace, and the short documentary accompanying Yours Eternally, directed by Ilya Mikhaylus, capturing life on the frontlines.
The EP reinforces U2’s long-standing mission: to confront injustice, speak out on global crises, and turn art into activism… all with the band’s signature urgency and bite.
Wonder if they’ll be giving this one away too?
