Legendary Irish rockers U2 have surprised fans with the release of Days of Ash, a powerful six-track EP that arrived February 18—Ash Wednesday—via digital platforms . The collection marks the band's first new music since their 2023 single "Atomic City" and serves as a precursor to a full studio album expected later in 2026 .
Described as "an immediate response to current events," Days of Ash finds Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. doing what they've done for decades: confronting injustice through their art . The EP pays tribute to specific individuals whose lives were cut short, including a mother killed by ICE in Minnesota, an Iranian schoolgirl who died protesting, and a Palestinian teacher murdered in the West Bank .
Frontman Bono explained the urgency behind the release in a heartfelt statement: "These EP tracks couldn't wait; these songs were impatient to be out in the world. They are songs of defiance and dismay, of lamentation. Songs of celebration will follow, we're working on those now" .
The centerpiece "Yours Eternally" features British superstar Ed Sheeran and Ukrainian musician-turned-soldier Taras Topolia . Born from Bono and The Edge's impromptu 2022 subway performance in Kyiv, the song takes the form of a letter from a soldier on the frontlines . A companion documentary will arrive February 24, the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion .
The EP opens with "American Obituary," honoring Renée Good, a 37-year-old mother of three killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis this January . "Song of the Future" remembers 16-year-old Sarina Esmailzadeh, who died during Iran's Woman, Life, Freedom protests . "One Life at a Time" mourns Awdah Hathaleen, a Palestinian activist killed in the West Bank last July .
The collection also includes the meditative "The Tears of Things," imagining a conversation between Michelangelo's David and his creator while advocating for Israeli-Palestinian peace, and "Wildpeace," a poem by Israeli author Yehuda Amichai read by Nigerian artist Adeola over music by U2 and Jacknife Lee .
To accompany the release, U2 has rebooted their legendary fan magazine Propaganda with a 52-page digital and limited print edition titled "Six Postcards From the Present… Wish We Weren't There" . The band will make contributions to Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the UN Refugee Agency .
Drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who missed the band's celebrated Sphere residency due to injury, affirms the music's quality: "I believe these new songs stand up to our best work" .
U2 - Days of Ash EP Tracklist:
