{"id":2327607,"date":"2026-03-14T05:20:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T05:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2327607"},"modified":"2026-03-14T05:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T05:20:08","slug":"why-would-any-young-person-trust-these-guys-renowned-us-music-publications-blunt-verdict-on-new-u2-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/why-would-any-young-person-trust-these-guys-renowned-us-music-publications-blunt-verdict-on-new-u2-songs\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Why would any young person trust these guys?&#8217;: Renowned US music publication&#8217;s blunt verdict on new U2 songs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_d0bc02\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Last month U2 dropped the six-track EP Days of Ash, and despite rave reviews in Ireland &#8211; Pitchfork were not too impressed<\/h2>\n<p><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36744693\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"U2 are back with a new EP \" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">U2 are back with a new EP <cite aria-label=\"Image: Anton Corbijn\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Anton Corbijn)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">U2\u2019s newest Days of Ash EP has been handed a blunt verdict by renowned US music publication Pitchfork, who penned a less than impressed review of the latest release by the famed Irish rockers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Last month the With or Without You rockers <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"dropped the six-track EP, alongside a one-off digital zineLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/whats-on\/music-nightlife-news\/u2-release-new-standalone-six-36744636\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">dropped the six-track EP, alongside a one-off digital zine<\/a>, featuring tracks inspired by the \u201cmany extraordinary and courageous people fighting on the frontlines of freedom\u201d and marking their first release since 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The politically charged record, penned by the group as an \u201cimmediate response to current events\u201d, features five new songs and a poem &#8211; American Obituary, The Tears Of Things, Song Of The Future, Wildpeace, One Life At A Time and Yours Eternally with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Ed SheeranLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/all-about\/ed-sheeran\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Ed Sheeran<\/a> and Taras Topolia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">While the record was lauded across the board on their home turf, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"2FMLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/all-about\/2fm\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">2FM<\/a>\u2019s Dan Hegarty praised the EP as \u201can impressive body of work\u201d, Pitchfork\u2019s Sam Sodomsky gave the work a 6.0 out of 10, including some choice words in a lengthy review on the site.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The record, Sodomsky says, is a step in the right direction for the group, an out of nowhere release as the quartet continue to work on their new album slated for release later this year, he says the \u201cslapdash artwork and YouTube-rip-quality mix suggest the band was too excited to slow down and consult many outside collaborators.\u201d<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36744705\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36744705\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744705.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_U2-Days-Of-Ash-EP-COVER-ARTWORK.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744705.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_U2-Days-Of-Ash-EP-COVER-ARTWORK.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744705.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_U2-Days-Of-Ash-EP-COVER-ARTWORK.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744705.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_U2-Days-Of-Ash-EP-COVER-ARTWORK.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"U2 Days Of Ash is out now \" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">U2 Days Of Ash is out now <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">While the politically charged underscore of the EP grabbed many U2 fans, like American Obituary which delves into the shocking event the world witnessed in Minneapolis earlier this year, for Sodomsky, it wasn\u2019t a hit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The reviewer couldn\u2019t get behind The Edge\u2019s \u201carena-ready power chords\u201d, nor was he enthralled by Bono\u2019s lyrics, penning that &#8220;these days, Bono\u2019s political writing can feel like a Veep plot about finding a slogan that will appeal to everybody and offend nobody in the fewest words possible\u201d.<\/p>\n<article class=\"Teaser_teaser__XImzE OpinionTeaser_teaser-opinion__u0ZfS\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36791878\" data-testid=\"opinion-teaser\">\n<div data-testid=\"opinion-teaser-image\" class=\"Teaser_cover-wrapper__VVV7O\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36747401.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s540\/1_Singer-Bono.jpg 540w\" media=\"undefined\" data-testid=\"source-element\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36747401.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s650\/1_Singer-Bono.jpg 650w\" media=\"undefined\" data-testid=\"source-element\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36747401.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s948\/1_Singer-Bono.jpg 948w\" media=\"undefined\" data-testid=\"source-element\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36747401.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s650\/1_Singer-Bono.jpg\"\/><\/picture>\n<p><label data-testid=\"label\" class=\"Label_label__pFaDj Label_secondary__nOPjT label--section-color\"><span data-testid=\"label-text\" class=\"Label_text__tRLWj\">OPINION<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"OpinionTeaser_content-wrapper__TVVPL OpinionTeaser_large__m6_Lk\">\n<div data-testid=\"teaser-author\" class=\"TeaserAuthor_author__h_bIR TeaserAuthor_large__QjYde\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article30405763.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s338a\/0_billy-headshot.jpg\" alt=\"Author avatar\"\/><span class=\"TeaserAuthor_author-name__YmKL2\">Billy Scanlan<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Amid the tracks \u201cswings at zeitgeisty sloganeering and earnest eulogizing and singalong choruses\u201d, Sodomsky points out one line \u201cOur children teach us who to trust\u201d, that he says is a \u201crare show of humility\u201d for the singer, he says: \u201cComing from a guy who\u2019s been accused of being preachy since the Reagan administration, it hints at a new level of self-awareness that colors the EP\u2019s strongest turns.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Adding that it is a \u201cmoment of self-deprecation\u201d, because, \u201clet\u2019s face it, in 2026, why would any young person trust these guys? Compared to the Cure\u2014who had a creatively and commercially successful comeback album in 2024\u2014I\u2019m not sure any skeptics will find their gateway with the well-meaning protest music of Days of Ash.\u201d<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36744698\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36744698\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744698.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_U2-Days-of-Ash-EP-American-Obituary.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744698.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_U2-Days-of-Ash-EP-American-Obituary.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744698.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_U2-Days-of-Ash-EP-American-Obituary.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744698.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_U2-Days-of-Ash-EP-American-Obituary.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"American Obituary speaks to the shocking event the world witnessed in Minneapolis\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">American Obituary speaks to the shocking event the world witnessed in Minneapolis<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It isn\u2019t all disdain though, Sodomsky gives the band their dues when he sees fit throughout the review, sharing how \u201cBono deserves credit for pushing himself to sing both urgently and meaningfully\u201d and that \u201cone of the EP\u2019s simple pleasures is just hearing the band play together again\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He also hailed The Tears of Things as a \u201crare recent song they\u2019re willing to let breathe: delivered as an idea they\u2019re developing, not a product they\u2019re testing for maximum impact\u201d.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36744742\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36744742\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744742.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_U2-Days-of-Ash-EP-The-Tears-Of-Things.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744742.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_U2-Days-of-Ash-EP-The-Tears-Of-Things.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744742.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_U2-Days-of-Ash-EP-The-Tears-Of-Things.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.irishmirror.ie\/article36744742.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_U2-Days-of-Ash-EP-The-Tears-Of-Things.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"The Tears Of Things borrows its title from a book by Franciscan friar Richard Rohr\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The Tears Of Things borrows its title from a book by Franciscan friar Richard Rohr<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The EP\u2019s closing track, Yours Eternally, however, is slammed as a \u201cwebinar-waiting-room anthem\u201d. The tune sees Bono and The Edge joined on vocals by Ukrainian musician-turned-soldier Taras Topolia, as well as Shape of You hitmaker Ed Sheeran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The song, written in the form of a letter from a soldier on active duty with a \u201cbold, mischievous spirit to match Ukraine\u2019s\u201d, was born in the spring of 22\u2019 after Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine when Bono and The Edge traveled to Kyiv to busk in a metro station at the invitation of President Zelensky.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A couple of days prior to that, Ed connected Taras Topolia, and by extension his band Antytila, with Bono.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sodomsky hit back at the closing track, calling it a \u201cwebinar-waiting-room anthem that finally, fully closes any existing gap between the worst tendencies of this band and Coldplay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cAnd did I mention this band is still actively vying for radio hits? So say hello to Ed Sheeran, who stops by for the closing Yours Eternally,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><em>What do you think? Was U2&#8217;s triumphant return everything you had hoped? Let us know in the comments.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Want to see more of the stories you love from the Irish Mirror? <\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Making us your preferred source on GoogleLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=irishmirror.ie\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Making us your preferred source on Google<\/a><\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"> means you\u2019ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Irish Mirror as a preferred source, simply <\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"click hereLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=irishmirror.ie\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.irishmirror.ie \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last month U2 dropped the six-track EP Days of Ash, and despite rave reviews in Ireland &#8211; Pitchfork were not too impressed U2 are back with a new EP (Image: Anton Corbijn) U2\u2019s newest Days of Ash EP has been handed a blunt verdict by renowned US music publication Pitchfork, who penned a less than [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2327608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[21800,305294],"class_list":["post-2327607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-music","tag-u2"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Why-would-any-young-person-trust-these-guys-Renowned-US.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2327607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2327607"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2327607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2327609,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2327607\/revisions\/2327609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2327608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2327607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2327607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2327607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}