<\/p>\n
U2 dropped a surprise EP this week with six new songs and a message that doesn\u2019t leave much room for misinterpretation.<\/p>\n
Titled Days of Ash<\/em>,<\/span> the EP opens with \u201cAmerican Obituary,\u201d<\/span> a fiery tribute to Ren\u00e9e Good<\/span>, the Minneapolis mother of three who was killed Jan. 7 amid protests tied to the federal immigration crackdown.<\/p>\n The band framed the project as an urgent response to the current moment. Bono said a full-length album with a more \u201cjoyful tone\u201d is still in the works, but these songs weren\u2019t meant to sit on a hard drive while the world dealt with \u201cchaos.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese EP tracks couldn\u2019t wait,\u201d Bono said, calling them \u201csongs of defiance and dismay, of lamentation.\u201d<\/p>\n Bono described the EP as a snapshot of what the band can offer right now.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all bring what we\u2019ve got. And these five songs and a poem are what we\u2019ve got right now,\u201d he said, adding that the tracks are \u201cportraits\u201d of people U2 sees \u201cat some of the frontlines of freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor those us not living on those lines, we should be so grateful to those who are,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The EP also reaches beyond the U.S., with songs that reference ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Iran and Ukraine<\/span>, including \u201cWildpeace,\u201d<\/span> a poem from Israeli writer Yehuda Amichai <\/span>set to music. The track \u201cYours Eternally\u201d<\/span> features guest performances by Ed Sheeran<\/span> and Ukrainian rocker Taras Topolia<\/span>, who has been fighting on the front lines against Russian forces. U2 said that track will be accompanied by a short documentary set for release Tuesday to mark the four-year anniversary of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cOne can never write a song to do justice to lives like these,\u201d he said, \u201cbut you can try.\u201d<\/p>\n Even with the EP\u2019s grief-heavy tone, he insisted this isn\u2019t the band\u2019s final word.<\/p>\n \u201cHang tight,\u201d Bono said. \u201cYou can only kick at the darkness for so long. We\u2019re going to try to make the light brighter real soon.\u201d<\/p>\n