U2 embracing the spiritual and real worlds has been a staple of the band since at least 1981’s October and perhaps seen more clearly in how “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “40” shared space on 1983’s War album.
The band’s decision in spring 2026 to release two surprise EPs during Lent, one on Ash Wednesday and the other on Good Friday, came as a shock to many, especially since the band clarified they are still working on a new album and these songs won’t be part of it. So that’s 11 new songs a month apart, which is basically the band’s first new album in nine years.
However, the decision to split the songs makes sense considering the content. Days Of Ash was political and current, calling out real-world injustices of the last couple years. Easter Lily is the flip side, explicitly referencing the band’s Christian faith and an overall breezier, far less urgent listen. It’s sunny where Ash is dark and inoffensive where “American Obituary” dared to suggest that ICE murdering Renee Good was maybe not awesome (regardless of your place along the political spectrum, 
not killing protestors should be something we agree on).
Much like how “40” ended War where “Sunday Bloody Sunday” started that album, this twin EP structure one month apart is a deliberate attempt to bring light into the darkness, and hope. For many, that comes through belief in Jesus, and even if He is not named across the album, songs like “Easter Parade,” “Resurrection Song” and “Coexist (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?”) are pretty blatant in their expression of faith. So too is the line “You’re never alone when you’re on your knees” in the opener “Song For Hal.”
The attempt, however, is less successful than its predecessor. U2’s music has unfortunately started to sound very similar since 2009; I’d argue No Line On The Horizon was their last great album. You have your midtempo beats, Edge’s guitar tricks and sounds, yearning Bono vocals that reach around the stadium, songs that kind of sound like older songs but without the hooks, and almost no chances being taken.
The best of the bunch is “Scars,” which has that older-school U2 feel mixed with the new, which in this new millennium is where they excel sonically (read: “Red Flag Day,” “Volcano,” etc.). “Song For Hal” is a lovely tribute to a friend and producer of the band who died from Covid a few years back, but not one that sticks in the memory despite a rare lead vocal from The Edge. “Coexist” is the sole track that takes chances, a Brian Eno-produced somber soundscape dedicated to children in war zones worldwide but most likely in Gaza, given recent comments the band has made about the topic. And although it doesn’t fully accomplish what it’s trying to do, “Easter Parade” is a clear attempt to recall The Joshua Tree in its sound and scope
This familiar approach is kind of the point, though. In an interview, Bono hinted that there would be future “hoopla and fanfare” to announce and tour the new album, when it comes out, but the new EP is between “you and us.” It’s music that will reward longtime fans, especially those who embrace the band’s spiritual or slower side, and musically it’s on par with their favorite album tracks from the last 26 years. Like its predecessor, it is music the band felt they needed to make right now, but this time it’s an album of hope, friendship and rebirth that is necessary in the fallen world that made Days Of Ash possible in the first place.