Iconic '80s Rock Band Surprises Fans with New Music and Album News

One of the best feelings is when a band that's been gone for a while suddenly reappears with new music and a fresh album on the way.

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, that's exactly what happened with legendary '80s rock band U2. Without any prior warning, the band released a new EP, Days of Ash, appropriately out on Ash Wednesday, offering a handful of new songs, including a collaboration with Ed Sheeran called "Yours Eternally."

Beloved '80s Rock Band Returns With Days of Ash EP

The album features five songs and a poem, called "Wildpeace," which discusses recent events world events, totaling six tracks. So, U2 have always been known to include themes of social commentary in their music, and they're certainly doing that again. All of the new EP is available to stream on U2's official YouTube page and on streaming and download platforms.

In an official statement, vocalist Bono said of the EP, "It's been a thrill having the four of us back together in the studio over the last year," adding that "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."

Expect a New U2 Album Later in 2026

So, in that statement, Bono also announced the news that U2 will release a new album later in 2026.

"These EP tracks couldn't wait; these songs were impatient to be out in the world," Bon added. "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."

Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. added, "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."

He also said that "the way the world is now feels like the right moment. 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."

U2 guitarist The Edge added of the EP, "We believe in a world where borders are not erased by force. 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."

So, it's a happy moment for fans of U2. Not only is there new music from Bono and the crew, but they've confirmed that additional new music is on the way.