Is U2’s new Days Of Ash EP the best thing they’ve done in years?

DCM Editorial Summary: This story has been independently rewritten and summarised for DCM readers to highlight key developments relevant to the region. Original reporting by RTE, click this post to read the original article.

What a week to be a U2 fan. Five new tracks and a poem arrived on Tuesday in the form of the EP Days Of Ash. Add to that the news that an album will follow towards the end of the year; it did seem like even the rain stopped in delight.

There is something quite exciting about traditional release strategies. A release date is set, and along the way a couple of singles may arrive, further wetting the appetite.

However, the sheer thrill of a surprise release never gets old.

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Listen to U2’s Days Of Ash EP, via Spotify

Rumours had been circulating that U2 were in studio, but on the release front it had been radio silence. We never really know how long it will be until new music arrives from U2, but Larry Mullen Jr’s comments on the EP sum it up perfectly “Who needs to hear a new record from us? It just depends on whether we’re making music we feel deserves to be heard. I believe these new songs stand up to our best work.”

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Watch: Evelyn O’Rourke on U2’s Days Of Ash for RTÉ News

The idea of an artist using their platform to call out the wrongs that they see seems even more important in today’s world. To do this and gain any sort of reaction that could potentially make a change for the better; the songs need to be good, even great.

So, are the songs on Days Of Ash good? Are they U2 good? The answer is simply yes and yes. American Obituary is loud and abrasive; a cry of outrage and heartache. It’s a song that could easily be one of those moments at a U2 live show; should they choose to include it in a future setlist.

Perhaps the song that has not garnered the attention that it deserves is The Tears Of Things. Listen to this song a few times and you might find yourself placing it in the same sentence as Sweetest Thing, Staring At The Sun and A Sort Of Homecoming.

There have been comments made over the past couple of days that U2 have rolled back the years and made some of their best work on this EP. This is true; yes Days Of Ash is an impressive body of work but it’s very much U2 locking in on what they do best; songs with loads of energy while being politically charged and tuned in culturally.

It’s U2 being U2, who else would we want them to be?

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