U2 Addresses Various Global Issues with 6 New 'Songs of Defiance and Dismay,' Explains Bono
U2 Addresses Various Global Issues with 6 New 'Songs of Defiance and Dismay,' Explains Bono
Jack IrvinWed, February 18, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC
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U2
Anton Corbijn
U2 released a new EP, Days of Ash, on Wednesday, Feb. 18
The project features five new songs and a poem inspired by various global issues
"We believe in a world where borders are not erased by force," said The Edge in a statement
U2 is back with purposeful new music.
On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the Irish rock band released its new Days of Ash EP, a collection of five new songs and a poem inspired by various global issues including the killing of Renee Good by ICE and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, among others.
Good's death inspired opening track "American Obituary," which is followed by "The Tears of Things," a song that imagines a conversation where Michelangelo's David refuses the idea that he must become Goliath to defeat him.
'Days of Ash' EP artwork
Interscope Records
"Song of the Future" is about 16-year-old Sarina Esmailzadeh, a Woman, Life, Freedom movement protestor who died in September 2022 after getting beaten by Iranian security forces following an arrest for not wearing a hijab.
The EP's third track showcases Nigerian artist Adeola of Les Amazones d'Afrique's reading of "Wildpeace," a poem by Israeli author and poet Yehuda Amichai.
Next is "One Life at a Time," written in honor of Palestinian father of three, nonviolent activist and English teacher Awdah Hathaleen, who was killed by Israeli settler Yinon Levi in July 2025. Hathaleen worked on the documentary No Other Land, made by both Palestinians and Israelis. One of its directors, Basel Adra, spoke at his funeral about Palestinians getting erased “one life at a time," which inspired the song.
The final song is "Yours Eternally" featuring Ed Sheeran and Ukrainian musician-turned-soldier Taras Topolia, and it's written as a letter from a Ukranian soldier on duty. The track was inspired by Bono, Taras and The Edge meeting while busking in Ukraine at President Zelensky's request following Russia's 2022 invasion of the country.
"We believe in a world where borders are not erased by force," said The Edge in a statement about the new EP. "Where culture, language, and memory are not silenced by fear. Where the dignity of a people is not negotiable. This belief isn’t temporary. It isn’t political fashion. It’s the ground we stand on. And we stand there together."
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In another statement, Bono spoke about getting back in the studio with U2 and how the EP's songs "are very different in mood and theme to the ones we’re going to put on our album later in the year."
"They are songs of defiance and dismay, of lamentation. Songs of celebration will follow, we’re working on those now… because for all the awfulness we see normalized daily on our small screens, there’s nothing normal about these mad and maddening times and we need to stand up to them before we can go back to having faith in the future. And each other," said Bono.
"'If you have a chance to hope it’s a duty…' is a line we borrowed from Lea Ypi," he continued. "A laugh would be nice too. Thank you."
Larry Mullen Jr. said in a statement, "Who needs to hear a new record from us? It just depends on whether we’re making music we feel deserves to be heard."
"I believe these new songs stand up to our best work. We talk a lot about when to release new tracks. You don’t always know… the way the world is now feels like the right moment," added Mullen. "Going way back to our earliest days, working with Amnesty or Greenpeace, we’ve never shied away from taking a position and sometimes that can get a bit messy, there’s always some sort of blowback, but it’s a big side of who we are and why we still exist."
Adam Clayton offered a more simple statement: "I’m excited about these new songs, it feels like they’re arriving at the right time."
Days of Ash arrives alongside a short documentary directed by Ukrainian cinematographer and filmmaker Ilya Mikhaylus called Yours Eternally as well as a one-off revival issue of U2's Propaganda zine, first launched in 1986. The zine features interviews with Mikhaylus and film producer Pyotr Verzilov, as well as Topolia, plus a Q&A with Bono and more.
U2 will also make contributions to Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists and UNHCR "in support of freedom and human rights," per a press release.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
