U2 Releases Surprise Six-Song Spiritual EP Easter Lily

A Reflective Shift in Themes

The new collection, released via Island Records and Universal Music Group, follows the Days of Ash EP, which arrived on Ash Wednesday. While the previous release was described as a response to "chaotic times in the outside world," the Easter Lily EP is a more personal and reflective set of songs. According to a statement from the record company, the works explore themes of friendship, loss, hope, and renewal.

The title of the EP is a direct tribute to Patti Smith and her 1978 album Easter. Lead singer Bono explained the connection and the internal questions that drove the songwriting process for this collection:

"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."

— Bono

Track-by-Track Details

The EP features six new recordings, including a collaboration with Brian Eno and contributions from producer Jacknife Lee. The tracks are as follows:

• "Song for Hal": A tribute to the late producer Hal Willner, who passed away in 2020. The track features The Edge on lead vocals.

• "In a Life": Described as an ode to friendship.

• "Scars": A song drawing musical inspiration from the early 1980s post-punk scene, focusing on self-acceptance.

• "Resurrection Song": A track based on a decade-old demo featuring Larry Mullen Jr. on drums.

• "Easter Parade": A spiritual track that was fine-tuned to focus on transcendence.

• "COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?)": Featuring a soundscape by Brian Eno, described as a lullaby for parents of children in war zones.

The Edge provided insight into the vocal duties for the opening track and the emotional weight of the project:

"I rarely take a lead vocal. When people ask why, I explain that we actually have a great singer in the band. I always imagined Bono would sing the lead, but he felt strongly I should sing it. He liked where it hit my voice. That was a big compliment."

— The Edge

Regarding the track "In a Life," The Edge added:

"While we accept how absurd it is to talk about faith and friendship in such nihilistic times, we are unrepentant… this is emotionally direct which for some will be uncool. But that’s the point, to be confrontational and challenging to the coolness that creeps into relationships. Listening to it after ‘Song for Hal’, I’m reminded not to take friends for granted."

— The Edge

Ongoing Studio Sessions and Future Album

The 12 songs featured across Days of Ash and Easter Lily are considered a "separate, self-contained collection" and will not appear on the band's upcoming studio album. Bono confirmed that the band is currently in the studio working on a new full-length project, which is expected to follow 2023's Songs of Surrender.

"We are in the studio, still working towards a noisy, messy, 'unreasonably colourful' 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."

— Bono

Producer Jacknife Lee described the intense atmosphere of the current recording sessions, noting that the decisions to release the EPs were made at the last minute. Larry Mullen Jr., who missed the band's Sphere residency in Las Vegas to recover from neck and back surgeries, has returned to the studio with a modified approach to his instrument.

"Larry has had to learn a new style of drumming because of previous inures, but it’s really opened up so many possibilities for him."

— Jacknife Lee

Propaganda Digital E-Zine

Accompanying the EP is a digital edition of the band’s fanzine, Propaganda. The issue includes a conversation between Bono and Franciscan friar Richard Rohr, studio photography by Mullen Jr., sleeve notes from The Edge, and an essay by Adam Clayton regarding art and recovery. It also features a memorial essay for Hal Willner and lyrics for the new songs.

Background and Recent History

U2, formed in Dublin, has achieved significant chart success over their career, including 34 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and eight No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200. The band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2025, the members issued individual statements regarding the humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip, stating:

"We are not experts in the politics of the region, but we want our audience to know where we each stand."

— U2

The band's upcoming untitled album is reportedly set for release in late 2026, though no official tour plans or exact release windows have been confirmed.