A Second Spring Sunrise: The U2Songs Team Reviews the ‘Easter Lily’ EP

Original Story by Don Morgan (2026-04-06)

U2 surprised fans on Good Friday 2026 with the release of the 6-track Easter Lily EP, scarcely a month after the February release of Days of Ash. With yet another new single and full-length album promised in just a few months, the creative juices are clearly flowing at U2 HQ! As we did with Days of Ash just a few weeks ago, a few members of the U2Songs team offer their initial impressions of Easter Lily.

Aaron:
We’ve received two extraordinary gifts. Two EPs of brand new songs, ahead of a full album arriving later this year. The songs on Easter Lily sound great. The band is producing music that sounds fresh, but still captures the essence of U2 of old. Larry Mullen’s return to the
drum kit is the real star of this work to my ears. It is good to hear him back on these songs. He sounds good. Welcome back! (And nice to see the contributions from Larry to Propaganda as well via photos and the Anton article!)

Like always, this EP brought me back to earlier U2 work. Trying to reclaim a line from “Ahimsa” for “In A Life”? OK fine, change approved, happy to forget the first song! I agree with my friend Chris, “Easter Parade” shares DNA with “Picture This” from the Spider-Man soundtrack. There are nods to The Unforgettable Fire throughout the EP as well. And maybe I’ve been getting a hint of No Line on the Horizon as well. Both good choices to bring me memories from, since they are among my favourite albums.

I was worried going into this that the religious element would leave me on the outside looking in. But I found they struck a good balance in the lyrics throughout. A well placed “?” keeps me from rolling my eyes too much during “COEXIST” even if the question isn’t apparent in the song itself. The lyrics overall are sitting well with me for both EPs, some of the awkwardness from the last two albums seems to have been left behind.

My first listen was as I worked on updates around here via the lyric videos. I did a disservice to myself doing that. There are elements here, buried in the music I didn’t immediately hear. The instrumental opening to “Resurrection Song” is beautiful. “COEXIST” has layers that I’m still searching through. It’s one of the tracks that I was least comfortable with on a first listen, but I keep going back to hear more. This EP calls for headphones or a good stereo to hear the finer touches.

There is a joy in these songs that wasn’t as apparent on Days of Ash. The music shimmers. It’s hard to pick a favourite, the EP holds together incredibly well, and I haven’t found myself skipping anything or wanting to move about.

I find myself longing for more. That tease at the end of “COEXIST” is evil. The first single from the new album is likely only a couple of months away, but even that seems too far off. Let’s go! Thank you U2.

Don:
I love this EP… it has connected with me way more quickly than Days of Ash, and that’s saying something because I loved that one. The U2 sound on these EPs is revelatory in a way I wasn’t expecting. In my mind, the template for this sound goes back to the How to Reassemble an Atomic Bomb project from 2024. Those songs, especially tracks like “Country Mile,” evoked the original HTDAAB album but somehow seemed less labored and more immediate. That same sound permeates both of these EPs, but especially Easter Lily. I firmly believe that U2 shines best when they’re working with a single producer (or a team, Lanois/Eno) rather than a committee. I hope this sound/production aesthetic carries over to the new album, because it’s critical to U2’s vibe.

Highlights from Easter Lily? There are many. When Larry’s drums kick in on “Resurrection Song” it’s one of the project’s most emotional moments for me. The accompanying issue of Propaganda notes that Larry has adopted an entirely new method of drumming following his surgeries, and IT WORKS. In fact, both Larry and Adam seem beautifully in sync throughout this project. I absolutely love it.

I also love the way that “Scars” segues into “Resurrection Song,” which segues into “Easter Parade.” This trilogy (Trinity?) of songs forms the heart of the EP for me. “Easter Parade” is especially noteworthy; at over six minutes it might be the next great U2 epic. I love the slow fade with the sequencer and then that bass synth, which evokes something from U2’s 90s output. But then the piano comes in, and you’re suddenly transported to the days of October and War. It induces chills.

Vocally, I was also absolutely gobsmacked by Edge’s lead vox on “Song for Hal.” Well done. Mr. Evans has taken a few turns at lead vox over the years, but this is a whole other level. And unlike Aaron, my first listen to this EP was on headphones. When Bono’s voice first appeared on “COEXIST,” it made me jump, like he had snuck up behind me! Eno’s atmospherics really take this track to a higher plane.

And finally, let’s give applause for another digital issue of Propaganda. I’m a big fan of liner notes, and while I prefer consuming my music in a physical format, I’m thankful that these EPs are accompanied by a wealth of articles, insights, credits, and photos that go far beyond what would be possible in a CD or LP sleeve.

I’m enthusiastic about what is to come!

Harry:
Released on the 3rd of April, as far as birthday presents go, the bar is now extremely high..!

First couple of listens, so here’s a couple of sentences for each track I liked so far:

“Song for Hal”: Is it just me, or does this feel like a Song of Ascent? I get this feeling quite a few times throughout this EP. Edge on lead vocals reassuring you that “you’re not alone” hits differently.

“In A Life”: Strong Snow Patrol vibes off this one. For an experiment in getting the chiils, try playing this track into “City Of Blinding Lights”.

“Scars”: There’d better be a very good reason this song was left out of the upcoming record. Instant Shine.

“Resurrection Song”: An intro that sounds like it fell off the back of The Unforgettable Fire, and a guitar hook that makes me want to dust off my guitar and Fractal Audio unit.

“Easter Parade”: The subtlety and duality of Easter Risings… religious ones, fight-for-independence ones… seriously who can do that better than U2? I would have liked more guitars on this one. I did get some Greek chanting on a U2 record for the first time in some 50 years though, so I can’t complain. I am claiming that as a birthday present too, by the way!

Brad:
I don’t think I’ve spent enough time with these tracks yet to review them individually. I will just say that this is an EP of contradictions for me: Most of the tracks have that classic Edge guitar sound, but Jacknife Lee’s production gives them a modern sheen that we haven’t quite heard before. The songs on this EP are more similar to each other than those on Days of Ash, so it sounds more cohesive, but that perhaps makes it a little less interesting than the previous EP overall. (The exception of course being “COEXIST” which is a brilliant rambling mess in the tradition of “Moment of Surrender” that only seems to happen when U2 and Brian Eno get together.) Some of the tracks sound like they may have been a bit rushed, but I will take unpolished, “four-men-in-a-room” U2 over “three-producers-reworked-this” U2 any day of the week. At any rate, I’m very happy to have been surprised by this EP, to have some new songs in their catalog that were recorded with a bit of urgency, and to have another track with Edge taking the lead vocal. I’m not certain there are any classics here, but I think it does show that U2 still has some real chops, and it has me looking forward to the new album even more.

Carl:
As an agnostic that’s not really into Easter as an adult, I’m not the target audience for this lyrically – and that’s fine! It’s great when artists just make the music they want to make, and in a way this is a return of “earnest” 80s Bono in a way that we haven’t seen in a while outside of politics. I personally enjoy them being a bit more playful with their faith ala “Until the End of the World” and “Mysterious Ways” from Achtung, or exploring some of the sharp edges between spirituality and religion like “If God Will Send His Angels” and “Wake Up Dead Man” from Pop. But that’s not their problem or anyone else’s. (smile)

Musically, “Resurrection Song” almost sounds like it could fit on a reimagined The Unforgettable Fire, and it’s interesting to look for hints of the upcoming “Irish folk rock” album, though this is fairly firmly in Pop territory.

Additional “Easter Lily” Links

  • “Sifting Through the Ashes: The U2Songs Team Evaluates the New EP“: The same crew from U2Songs go through the Days of Ash EP to give their thoughts. (2026-02-20)
  • “Easter Lily“ Discography Entry: We collect all the information about the Easter Lily EP here, including charts, link to our news stories about the EP, release information and more.
  • “Days of Ash“ Discography Entry: We collect all the information about the Days of Ash EP here, including charts, link to our news stories about the EP, release information and more.
  • Propaganda Magazine, Volume 3 Entry: U2’s fan magazine is back in a digital format, and we expect they are just getting started. Have a look at the two issues to date in our books section.

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