U2 Shares ‘Easter Lily’ EP

U2 returned with another new EP, Easter Lily, issued today through Interscope Records. The six-song collection follows the band’s Days Of Ash EP, which came out in February.

Following the release of Days Of Ash to coincide with the religious Ash Wednesday observance, Easter Lily arrived days before the Easter holiday. While Days Of Ash included songs reacting to the current political climate, Easter Lily finds the band taking a more personal approach.

The opening track, “Song For Hal,” was written for the late acclaimed producer, Hal Willner (see its video below). The closing song, “COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?),” includes a soundscape by Brian Eno.

U2 frontman Bono shared the below message accompanying the new EP:

“We are in the studio, still working towards a noisy, messy, ‘unreasonably colourful’ album to play LIVE… which is where U2 lives. We still look to vivid rock n roll as an act of resistance against all this awfulness on our small screens. These are for sure ‘wilderness years’ for so many of us looking at the mayhem out there in the world.

“It’s a time that has our band digging deeper into our lives to find a wellspring of songs to try [to] meet the moment… With we ended up asking very personal questions like: Are our own relationships up to these challenging times? How hard do you fight for friendship? Can our faith survive the mangling of meaning that those algorithms love to reward? Is all religion rubbish and still ripping us apart…? Or are there answers to find in its crevices? Are there ceremonies, rituals, dances that we might be missing in our lives?

“From the rite of Spring to Easter and its promise of rebirth and renewal… Patti Smith’s album Easter gave me so much hope when it was released in 1978. I wasn’t yet 18. The title is a nod to her.

“We will attempt hoopla and fanfare at a later date to remind the rest of the world we exist but in the meantime… this is between you and us.”