U2: back in the UK charts after over two years thanks to the “Days Of Ash” Ep

U2 are back in the British singles charts with a new track, something that hadn't happened in over two years. The achievement comes courtesy of a surprise release: the Ep “Days Of Ash“, released on Ash Wednesday to precede the studio album the Irish band are expected to put out later this year, still without an official title or release date.

Despite being made available halfway through the tracking week, the mini-album immediately posted strong sales figures in the UK. As the days went by, however, “Days Of Ash” began sliding down the chart, while one of the tracks on the Ep gained momentum on the singles chart.

“Song Of The Future”, chosen as the project's lead single, debuted in two British sales-based charts: at number 89 on the Official Singles Downloads Chart and at number 98 on the Official Singles Sales Chart. It's the first new track by the band to enter these charts since “Atomic City”, released in October 2023 to promote U2's residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

With this entry, U2 now have 18 appearances on the Official Singles Sales Chart and 22 on the UK downloads chart. In their recent history, “Atomic City” remains the only track to have reached the top 10 of both charts, peaking at number 10.

Looking further back, the band achieved far more significant results: “Vertigo” spent nine weeks at number one on the British downloads chart, while singles such as “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”, “One” (the version with Mary J. Blige) and “The Saints Are Coming” with Green Day all reached the upper end of the rankings.

Meanwhile the “Days Of Ash” Ep, made up of six tracks, after debuting at number one on the Official Album Downloads Chart, has dropped to number 4 in its second week. On the Official Albums Sales Chart, it fell from 8 to 16.

Curiously, the band did not promote as a single “Yours Eternally“, the track featuring Ed Sheeran and Taras Topolia: a surprising choice, though one that could leave room for a future release.

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