‘U2- Days of Ash’ New EP Out Now

After nearly a decade without a full album of new original material, U2 has returned with a powerful and urgent creative statement. Their new six-song EP, Days of Ash, marks the band’s first major release of fresh material in nine years and signals that their voice remains as relevant and resonant as ever.

Few artists sustain cultural impact across generations, but U2 continues to defy expectations. Since their earliest recordings, the band’s identity has extended far beyond music. Their work has consistently intertwined sound with conviction, championing political awareness, human rights, and global social responsibility. That sense of purpose has helped define their legacy and continues to shape their creative direction today.

Frontman Bono has long blurred the line between performer and activist, engaging with global leaders and major technology platforms while advocating for humanitarian causes. His outreach and collaborations with companies such as Meta and Apple reflect a belief that art and influence can work together to shape public conversation. That same urgency and engagement pulse through Days of Ash.

Bono describes the EP as emotionally and thematically distinct from the full album expected later in 2026. The new material, he explains, demanded to be released immediately. These songs, he says, carry tones of defiance, grief, and reflection, capturing the intensity of the present moment before the band turns toward more celebratory themes on their upcoming album. For Bono, the music responds directly to a world that feels increasingly unsettled, where everyday digital life can make extraordinary turmoil seem ordinary. The message is clear: before hope can return, reality must be confronted.

Alongside the EP, the band has revived their long-running Propaganda fan magazine with a striking 40th anniversary edition titled U2 Days of Ash: Six Postcards From the Present… Wish We Weren’t There. The publication leans into contemporary anxiety, featuring a deliberately redacted table of contents. Its design echoes the heavily obscured documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein, whose network of powerful associations, including figures such as Donald Trump, continues to generate public scrutiny and controversy.

Released on Ash Wednesday, the standalone EP serves as an immediate artistic response to current global events. The project includes five new songs and a spoken-word piece, each shaped by real-world tension and inspired by individuals confronting conflict, loss, and the struggle for freedom. Four of the tracks focus on personal stories: a mother, a father, a teenage girl whose life was cut short, and a soldier who would rather sing but stands ready to sacrifice everything for his country.

The six-track collection features:
• American Obituary
• The Tears Of Things
• Song Of The Future
• Wildpeace
• One Life At A Time
• Yours Eternally, featuring Ed Sheeran and Taras Topolia

Listen to the songs and watch the six lyric videos here.

Bono describes the past year in the studio as energizing, with all four band members reunited and creatively focused. Meanwhile, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. reflects on the deeper question behind any new release: not whether audiences need new music from the band, but whether the music itself deserves to be heard. In his view, these songs rise to that standard, shaped by a world that feels volatile, uncertain, and impossible to ignore.

With Days of Ash, U2 once again positions itself at the intersection of music and moment. The EP is not just a collection of songs. It is a reflection of the present, a document of unrest, and a reminder that even in turbulent times, art can still respond with urgency, empathy, and purpose.

Read – and listen to and watch – Propaganda.