U2 slam ICE agents in US, Russia’s Putin in new Days Of Ash EP
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U2's new Days Of Ash EP is the Irish band's first collection of new songs in nearly a decade.
PHOTO: DANNY NORTH
- U2 released their "Days Of Ash EP" on Feb 18, their first in a decade, defiantly responding to current global events and freedom struggles.
- The EP includes "Yours Eternally" with Ed Sheeran and a Ukrainian soldier, honours a US protester, and criticises Israeli settler activity.
- The band's continued activism against global conflicts, including Ukraine and Gaza, is evident. A new album is planned for later this year.
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LONDON – Irish rockers U2 released their first collection of new songs in nearly a decade on Feb 18, featuring a collaboration with English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and a Ukrainian musician and soldier.
The standalone Days Of Ash EP is “an immediate response to current events and inspired by the many extraordinary and courageous people fighting on the front lines of freedom”, said the band’s website.
“These EP tracks couldn’t wait; these songs were impatient to be out in the world. They are songs of defiance and dismay,” frontman Bono said in a statement.
Yours Eternally is a collaboration with Sheeran and Taras Topolia, a Ukrainian musician-turned-soldier. “Ask anyone in East Germany or Poland or Latvia if they think Putin will stop at Ukraine,” Bono told Propaganda, the band’s fan magazine.
The EP also sees U2 pay tribute to Renee Good, an American woman who was shot dead by a federal agent
In the opening track American Obituary, Bono sings: “Renee Good born to die free.”
The band said they would release a new album later in 2026.
Formed in the 1970s, U2 became one of the world’s most prominent rock bands through hits like With Or Without You (1987) and their vocal human rights campaigning. Bono, 65, is well known for his activism to eradicate poverty and fight Aids, and has been outspoken against wars in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza in recent years.
Song Of The Future honours a teenage girl who died while protesting in Iran in 2022, while One Life At A Time criticises Israeli settler activity in the occupied West Bank.
The latest EP builds on U2’s 2017 album Songs Of Experience, which included tracks urging activism and tolerance, released after Mr Donald Trump’s first election as US president. AFP
