U2 hasn’t released a brand-new song since the one-off single “Atomic City” in 2023. That being said, U2 guitarist The Edge revealed in a recent episode of the Sodajerker on Songwriting podcast that fans can expect some new music from the band in the not-too-distant future.
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The Edge reported that U2 was “working on a lot of new songs” and “having a great time.”
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He added, “There might be a new song happening very soon, which you’ll hear about. Can’t say any more than that. We’re in a great place creatively.”
The Sodajerker on Songwriting hosts also asked The Edge if his approach to writing these new songs differed than for previous U2 projects.
The guitarist explained that up until a few years ago, he usually would bring “raw material” to U2 that they would then start kicking around to see “if it was gonna become a song.” He said that in recent years, he began trying to bring completed musical ideas to the band.
Explaining his process, The Edge said, “I sort of tricked myself. I was going, ‘Okay, this is for The Edge solo album, so … you can’t be, like, leaving these things half finished. It doesn’t have to have finished lyrics, but it needs to really hang together. And that extra discipline, I think, has been very useful.”
He added, “So, I’ve been just working on so much material, and I hope, now that we’re doing some U2 sessions with that material, it looks like it’s paying off in that we sort of know, ‘Yeah, that one really does have some potential here.’ And we still might end up … changing it around a lot, but we’re not gonna be wasting our time on an idea that was never gonna work.”
On U2 Planning to Tour Again
The Edge also revealed that U2 was itching to tour again after mounting a lengthy Las Vegas at the Sphere venue in 2023 and 2024.
“We’re hoping to get to do some shows,” he shared, “’cause, you know, we did the Vegas run, which was fantastic, but we didn’t get to see much of the world. And … we’re looking forward to hooking up with our fans where they live, as opposed to them having to come to us.”
U2’s “U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere” residency featured 40 shows, running from September 29, 2023, through March 2, 2024.
The single “Atomic City” was released to celebrate the start of the Las Vegas residency.
The band’s last tour wrapped up in December 2019.
On Continuing to Love Being in U2
The Edge also explained why he thinks U2 has had such longevity as a band.
“We’re lucky. We’ve never turned it into work,” he said. “We’ve always had fun. I just love making music, and it’s a thrill being around [bassist] Adam [Clayton] and [drummer] Larry [Mullin Jr.] and Bono when we’re working together.”
He added, “I mean, I’m not saying their aren’t difficult times in the studio or writing or touring, but actually, bottom line, it’s just great fun. And it’s what I love to do with my life. So, I feel very fortunate, very lucky to be in this position.”
About U2’s Most Recent Releases
A big part of The Edge’s interview Sodajerker on Songwriting was focused on U2’s latest release, the 20th anniversary reissue of the band’s 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
The expanded reissue was released in multiple formats and configurations on November 22, 2024. The deluxe collection includes what U2 has called a “shadow album” titled How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb. The 10-song album includes tracks originally recorded during sessions for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb that recently were rediscovered in U2’s archives.
The Edge oversaw the creation of How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb.
U2’s most recent album was Songs of Surrender, a collection of stripped-down versions of older tunes by the band. It was released in March 2023. The group’s latest album featuring new compositions, Songs of Experience, came out in December 2017.
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