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U2 Surprise-Releases 'Easter Lily,' a Six-Track Spiritual EP

The unannounced drop underscores a new direct-to-fan release strategy during work on a separate album due later in 2026.

Overview

  • The band’s six-track Easter Lily arrived Friday, April 3, on Good Friday, marking U2’s second surprise EP release of 2026 after February’s Days of Ash.
  • Easter Lily turns inward with themes of friendship, loss, hope and renewal, offering a quiet counterpoint to Days of Ash, which focused on war and political unrest.
  • Song for Hal opens the set with The Edge on lead vocals in tribute to late producer Hal Willner, while closer COEXIST features a new soundscape by Brian Eno.
  • The release is digital-only and pairs with a fresh online issue of Propaganda, U2’s revived fanzine, with lyrics, new photos by Larry Mullen Jr., and essays from the band.
  • U2 call both EPs standalone detours as they continue recording a distinct, louder album for later in 2026, and multiple outlets report the EP tracks will not appear on that LP.