On Ash Wednesday, legendary rock band U2 released a brand new standalone 6-track EP, U2 – Days Of Ash.

In advance of a new album in late 2026, the U2 – Days Of Ash EP is a self-contained collection of five new songs and a poem – “American Obituary”, “The Tears Of Things”, “Song Of The Future”, “Wildpeace”, “One Life At A Time” and “Yours Eternally” (ft. Ed Sheeran & Taras Topolia) – 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 individuals – a mother, a father, a teenage girl whose lives were brutally cut short – and a soldier who’d rather be singing but is ready to die for the freedom of his country.

“It’s been a thrill having the four of us back together in the studio over the last year,’ explains U2 founding member Bono. “The songs on Days of Ash are very different in mood and theme to the ones we’re going to put on our album later in the year. These EP tracks couldn’t wait; these songs were impatient to be out in the world. They are songs of defiance and dismay…”

“Who needs to hear a new record from us?” asks Larry Mullen Jr. “It just depends on whether we’re making music we feel deserves to be heard. I believe these new songs stand up to our best work. We talk a lot about when to release new tracks. You don’t always know… the way the world is now feels like the right moment.”

U2 – Days Of Ash is available to listen to here, while six lyric videos for the songs are available here.

Source: RTT Music News