U2 Release New EP, ‘Easter Lily’

It's Easter weekend, and U2 are celebrating with a new six-song EP called Easter Lily, their second new EP in the past few months, following February's Days of Ash EP.

According to a press release, while the Days of Ash EP was "a response to chaotic times in the outside world, the Easter Lily EP is a much more reflective set of songs emerging from a more personal, private place that some may retreat to in such times – exploring themes of friendship, loss, hope and ultimately, renewal." That does seem like an amp fit for the Easter holiday.

Bono of U2 released his own statement on the set, stating that U2 are still in the studio, working towards a full-length album that's meant to be played live. "We still look to vivid rock 'n' roll as an act of resistance against all this awfulness on our small screens," he added in the statement. "These are for sure 'wilderness years' for so many of us looking at the mayhem out there in the world."

Bono continued regarding the U2 EP, "It's a time that has our band digging deeper into our lives to find a wellspring of songs to try meet the moment… With Easter Lily, 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?"

Bono also said that he was inspired by Patti Smith's album Easter, noting that it "gave me so much hope when it was released in 1978. I wasn’t yet 18. The title is a nod to her."

Easter Lily is available on all major digital streaming platforms. It's already getting raves, with Mojo magazine and Audio Ink Radio calling it the band's best work in decades. It's U2's way of saying, "Happy Easter."