Bono: U2s New Album Will Offend Some Fans

Bono has said U2's new EP Days Of Ash will 'offend and annoy' some people.

The Irish band are back with their latest offering - released on Ash Wednesday - which, like much of their music, deals with political themes and the issues of the day.

Topics addressed include the Israel/ conflict, the war in Ukraine and repression in . 

Speaking to The Sun, Bono said: 'All the songs on Days Of Ash are of the moment we wish we weren't in… but are.

'They are songs of defiance and dismay, of lamentation. These songs were impatient to be out in the world. They couldn't wait.

'The songs being presented here are all reactions to present day anxieties – some knee-jerk, some more considered – all likely to offend or annoy some parties, but that's kind of our job!' 

He described the songs on the record as portraits of those who are 'at the frontline of freedom'. 

U2 have often been inspired by real-world events in their music. Their 1983 song Sunday Bloody Sunday described the horrors of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

In 2023, they released a rewritten version of Walk On to serve as a rallying cry for the people of Ukraine. 

Days Of Ash is the band's first major release since 2017's Songs Of Experience. 

In 2014, Bono had to apologise after the band's album Songs Of Innocence was sent to the libraries of iTunes users throughout the world. 

Apple announced at its iPhone 6 launch event that the Irish band's latest album would be automatically added to every iTunes Store account, in 119 countries around the world, for free.

But some iTunes user were unhappy for an album to be downloaded to their library without their permission. 

The U2 frontman described the move by Apple as a 'drop of megalomania, a touch of generosity'. When someone suggested to him that it was 'rude' to impose his music on everyone, Bono said: 'Oops, I'm sorry about that.'

The first song on Days Of Ash, American Obituary, is dedicated to .

Good was fatally shot at 37 on January 7 in Minneapolis .

Lyrics in the politically-charged track include: 'Renee Good born to die free/American mother of three/Seventh day January, a bullet for each child, you see.'

The chorus features the lyrics, 'What you can’t kill can’t die/ America will rise against the people of the lie.'

Bono said in a digital fanzine that came with the album that the track is a 'song of fury… but more than that a song of grief.

The Beautiful Day artist added, 'Not just for Renee but for the death of an America that at the very least would have had an inquiry into her killing… 

'For her family as well as the credibility of law enforcement and the critical role they play in keeping the peace, keeping the citizenry safe.'

Other tracks on the EP cover issues such as conflicts in the Ukraine and the Middle East. 

Bono said that the time was right to release a song addressing ongoing political controversies in the United States.

'U2’s been banging on about America most of our artistic life… this is a country we love and has loved us back. Amazingly.

'Americans for the most part have given U2 and me in particular permission to mouth off… 

'And on this stuff I think people know that I’ve been an equal opportunity pest on the left as well as the right.'

Renee Good's partner Becca Good said Wednesday in a statement: 'Renee didn't just believe in kindness; she lived it, fully and fiercely. She believed every person deserved the same compassion, care and dignity regardless of who they were.'

Good's family, in a statement, called the track in her honor from the iconic rock outfit 'an incredible honor.'

They said they were uplifted 'to have the talent and impact of U2 spreading the message of peace in Renee's name.

'We certainly feel the urgency of the country's situation reflected in the band's powerful call for change and coming together.'