For some time, there have been reports that the band have been recording what will become their 15th studio album. Still, fans were caught off guard today when the group released a new six track EP titled Easter Lily on Good Friday (April 3). The release follows February’s Days Of Ash EP, which also arrived to coincide with a significant religious date, Ash Wednesday.

Bono has now reassured listeners that a full album remains part of the plan, even though the band chose to share the two EPs first.

“We are in the studio, still working towards a noisy, messy, ‘unreasonably colour xerox’ album to play LIVE… which is where U2 lives,” he wrote in a message posted on X earlier today.

“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…”

He also explained that the creation of the Easter Lily EP came from the band reflecting on deeply personal themes. Among the questions they explored were: “Are our own relationships up to these challenging times? How hard do you fight for friendship?”

U2. Credit: Anton Corbijn

“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,” Bono continued. “I wasn’t yet 18. The title is a nod to her.”

He concluded his message by saying: “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.”

Hints about a new album have been circulating since 2024. At that time, The Edge suggested the upcoming material would move beyond a straightforward rock direction. Last summer Bono also mentioned he felt “ready for the future” with U2 and revealed the band had written around 25 strong songs. Earlier this year, he described the creative process as a way of moving beyond the past to create what he called “the sound of the future.”

During an appearance with US late night host Jimmy Kimmel, Bono was asked how work on the new record was progressing. The project will be their first since 2017’s Songs Of Experience. He replied: “We’ve been in the studio and you’ve sometimes got to deal with the past to get to the present, in order to make the sound of the future. That’s what we want to do.”

He added: “It’s the sound of four men, who feel like their lives depend on it. I remind them, they do. Nobody needs a new U2 album unless it’s an extraordinary one. I’m feeling very strong about it.”

In a newly released digital issue of their longtime Propaganda fanzine, also shared today, The Edge gave further insight into why some of the songs were separated from the main album project.

“We wrote some songs meant for our album but they started to assert themselves in some unexpected ways, demanding special attention,” he explained. “Their own devotional world, suggesting they didn’t feel part of our album.”

“So we folded … agreed to their timeline … which was Easter … 40 days after Ash Wednesday … the songs are the boss, you have to do what they say or they’ll abandon you for someone else.”