U2 released a new six-track EP titled 'Days of Ash' on February 18, 2026, coinciding with Ash Wednesday. The project features politically charged songs inspired by individuals affected by global conflicts and injustices. Bono described the tracks as reactions to present-day anxieties, distinct from the band's upcoming album.
U2 surprise-dropped the EP 'Days of Ash' on February 18, 2026, marking Ash Wednesday. The release includes five new songs and a poem, available on streaming platforms with lyric videos. Produced by longtime collaborator Jacknife Lee, the EP addresses current events through personal stories of loss and resistance.
The tracks are: 'American Obituary,' dedicated to Renée Good, a Minneapolis mother of three killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on January 7, 2026; 'The Tears of Things,' drawing from Richard Rohr's book on compassionate living amid violence, imagining a dialogue between Michelangelo and his statue David in reference to the Israel-Gaza conflict; 'Song of the Future,' honoring 16-year-old Iranian schoolgirl Sarina Esmailzadeh, who died from injuries during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests following Jina Mahsa Amini's death; 'Wildpeace,' a reading of Yehuda Amichai's poem by Nigerian artist Adeola Fayehun, set to music by U2 and Jacknife Lee; 'One Life at a Time,' inspired by Palestinian father and teacher Awdah Hathaleen, killed by an Israeli settler in the West Bank, drawing from the 2025 Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land'; and 'Yours Eternally,' featuring Ed Sheeran and Ukrainian musician-turned-soldier Taras Topolia, written as a letter from a frontline soldier, accompanied by a documentary directed by Ilya Mikhaylus, set for release on February 24, 2026, the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement, Bono said: "The songs on ‘Days Of Ash’ are very different in mood and theme to the ones we’re going to put on our album later in the year. These EP tracks couldn’t wait; these songs were impatient to be out in the world. They are songs of defiance and dismay, of lamentation."
The band relaunched their zine Propaganda as a 52-page issue, available in print and digital formats, featuring lyrics, band notes, a Q&A with Bono, and interviews with collaborators like Ilya Mikhaylus and Taras Topolia. Recording occurred over the past year with the full lineup, including drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who returned after neck surgery following the band's 2024 Sphere residency.
Bono noted in Propaganda that the EP songs are "reactions to present day anxieties... all likely to offend or annoy some parties, but that’s kind of our job!" The upcoming album, slated for late 2026, will have a more celebratory tone. U2 have previously spoken on issues like the Gaza crisis and advocated for Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti.