U2 surprise-release an EP: listen to "Days Of Ash". "Dedicated to those fighting for freedom"

U2 have chosen Ash Wednesday to release, without warning, "U2 – Days Of Ash", an EP made up of five unreleased tracks and a poem. The project sits outside the path of the album planned for the end of 2026, and was born from the urgency to react to the international events of recent months, with particular attention to those on the front lines defending freedom.

Four of the five songs deal with lives cut short in the United States, Israel and Iran. Among the themes evoked is also the story of a Ukrainian soldier who would have liked to sing, but instead finds himself ready to sacrifice himself for his country. The tracklist includes: "American Obituary", "The Tears Of Things", "Song Of The Future", "Wildpeace", "One Life At A Time" and "Yours Eternally", the latter featuring Ed Sheeran and Taras Topolia.

Here below is the full stream of "Days Of Ash".

"It was moving to find ourselves all four together in the studio over the past year," said Bono. "The songs on 'Days Of Ash' have different moods and themes from what we're working on for the next album. These tracks couldn't wait, they needed to be shared. They speak of defiance, of dismay, of grief. We're also working on songs of celebration, but first we have to reckon with times that are anything but normal, despite our daily numbness to the images scrolling across our screens. We need to take a stand in order to believe in the future and in each other again."

Larry Mullen Jr. stressed the continuity of the band's commitment: "I believe these new songs stand up to our best work. From the very beginning, when we worked with Amnesty or Greenpeace, we chose to speak out openly, even knowing it brings reactions and criticism. It's an integral part of who we are."

The Edge echoed the sentiment: "We believe in a world where borders aren't redrawn by force, where culture, language and memory aren't smothered by fear, and where a people's dignity isn't up for negotiation. It's a conviction that defines how we stand in the world."

"American Obituary" recounts the shocking event the world witnessed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 7 January 2026, when Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a mother of three guided by high ideals, was killed at close range while exercising her right to protest peacefully, a right protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. This unarmed mother was then labelled a "domestic terrorist" by a government that refuses to withdraw the term, despite knowing it isn't true. Nor does it intend to launch a proper investigation into what happened, in the interest of everyone involved.

The title "The Tears Of Things" is taken from a book by Franciscan friar Richard Rohr, who draws on the writings of the Hebrew prophets to examine how it's possible to live with compassion in an age of violence and despair. The song imagines a conversation between Michelangelo's David and his creator... in which the young man with the sling and five smooth stones rejects the idea that he must become Goliath in order to defeat him... and it also turns out he has heart-shaped pupils half a millennium before the heart emoji, something that still puzzles visitors to the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, Italy.

The protagonist of "Song Of The Future" is Sarina. It pays tribute to the life of sixteen-year-old Sarina Esmailzadeh, one of the thousands of Iranian schoolgirls who took to the streets in 2022 as part of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. These protests were sparked by the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in Tehran on 16 September of that year from injuries sustained after her arrest by the so-called "morality police" for not wearing the hijab according to government standards. Seven days later, Sarina was beaten by Iranian security forces and died from her injuries, while the regime claimed she had committed suicide. The song aims to capture Sarina's free spirit, and the promise and hope of her short life.

The EP "Days of Ash" includes a reading of "Wildpeace" – a poem by Israeli author and poet Yehuda Amichai – by Nigerian artist Adeola of Les Amazones d'Afrique, with music by U2 and Jacknife Lee.

"One Life At A Time" was written for Awdah Hathaleen, a Palestinian father of three. A non-violent activist and English teacher, Awdah was killed in his West Bank village by Israeli settler Yinon Levi on 28 July 2025. Awdah was a consultant on the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land", made by Palestinians and Israelis. At his funeral, one of the film's directors, Basel Adra, spoke of the massacre of his friend and of the experience of Palestinians being erased "one life at a time". U2 picked up that phrase and turned it around to suggest that a peaceful solution will be reached "one life at a time".

On "Yours Eternally", Bono and The Edge are joined on vocals by Ukrainian musician-turned-soldier Taras Topolia and by Ed Sheeran. In the spring of 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Bono and The Edge travelled to Kyiv to play in a metro station at the invitation of President Zelensky. A couple of days earlier, Ed had put Taras Topolia and his band Antytila in touch with Bono. Bono, Taras and The Edge met for the first time on that metro platform. They have been friends ever since. Taras is the inspiration behind "Yours Eternally", a song written as a letter from a soldier on active duty, with a bold, vivid spirit well suited to Ukraine.

"Yours Eternally" will also be accompanied by a short 4-and-a-half-minute documentary directed by Ukrainian filmmaker Ilya Mikhaylus, out on Tuesday 24 February, on the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Filmed in December 2025 while Mikhaylus and his crew were embedded with the 40,000-strong Khartiya Corps, the footage captures the extraordinary daily life of Alina and her fellow soldiers fighting on the front line of the war.

U2's EP "Days Of Ash" comes together with the return of "Propaganda", the fanzine now revived as a limited digital edition with a limited print run as well. Forty years ago, in February 1986, the first issue of "Propaganda" landed in the mailboxes of U2 fans around the world. Aiming to match the other fan magazines of the era, "Propaganda" grew out of the DIY fanzine culture of the punk era, embracing its attitudes, ideas and dialogue. In the spirit of those early issues, this standalone EP will be accompanied by a limited print run of "Propaganda" titled "U2 – Days Of Ash: Six Postcards From The Present… Wish We Weren't Here". This special 52-page publication accompanies the release of the "Days Of Ash" EP and includes exclusive interviews with "Yours Eternally" short film director Ilya Mikhaylus and film producer Pyotr Verzilov, as well as musician and soldier Taras Topolia. It also includes song lyrics, notes from all four band members and an interview with Bono.

The magazine is available here.

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