U2 love surprises. On Ash Wednesday the band shared an unexpected EP called Days Of Ash, which featured Ed Sheeran. Now they're celebrating this holiday weekend with another new EP.
U2 - Easter Lily contains six songs, the last of which has a new soundscape by Brian Eno. Here's what Bono says about the release:
We are in the studio, still working towards a noisy, messy, "unreasonably colorful" album to play LIVE… which is where U2 lives. We still look to vivid rock n roll as an act of resistance against all this awfulness on our small screens. These are for sure "wilderness years" for so many of us looking at the mayhem out there in the world.
It’s a time that has our band digging deeper into our lives to find a wellspring of songs to try meet the moment… With Easter Lily we ended up asking very personal questions like: Are our own relationships up to these challenging times? How hard do you fight for friendship? Can our faith survive the mangling of meaning that those algorithms love to reward? Is all religion rubbish and still ripping us apart…? Or are there answers to find in its crevices? Are there ceremonies, rituals, dances that we might be missing in our lives? From the rite of Spring to Easter and its promise of rebirth and renewal… Patti Smith’s album Easter gave me so much hope when it was released in 1978. I wasn’t yet 18. The title is a nod to her.
We will attempt hoopla and fanfare at a later date to remind the rest of the world we exist but in the meantime… this is between you and us.
Like Days Of Ash, U2 - Easter Lily comes with a digital version of their Propaganda zine with contributions from the four band members. The first track, "Song for Hal," pays tribute to Hall Willner, with whom U2 worked on several projects; the late tribute album producer would've turned 70 on Easter Monday. Stream the EP below.
