U2 joins Brian Eno on ‘Sci-Fi Irish Folk Music’

If comments from U2’s founding guitarist The Edge are to be believed, U2’s next album could be another sonic left turn.

Senior guitarist interviewed BBC Radio 2 Jo Whiley will discuss the recently released How to reassemble an atomic bomba 20th anniversary collection of unreleased and rare tracks from the band’s 2004 album, How to dismantle an atomic bomb.

During the discussion, The Edge turned attention to the Irish band’s recent creative endeavors, explaining that he’s been creating some “crazy stuff” in the studio with frontman Bono and more recently with ambient pioneer (and previous collaborator) Brian Eno new music”.

“Bono and I were writing some crazy sci-fi Irish folk music,” he explains. “This may end up being part of the new U2 album. We’re not sure yet, we’ll see.

“Part of our process is to go way off track and get things back on track is how you get that unique sounding music.”

Adding “a bunch of [of] The “Beautiful Irish Musicians” may also have been involved in the process, with the guitarist’s comments suggesting a drastic change in the band’s sound compared to recent times. Their latest album of new material, Song of experiencearriving in 2017, arriving in 2023 song of surrender appears as a follow-up despite containing new recordings of previously released songs.

However, in 2023, Bono explained that a “loud, uncompromising, unreasonable” rock album would be their next project, ostensibly replacing the apparently shelved album song of ascenthas been ridiculed for more than a decade.

“I don’t think the world is waiting for U2’s next album,” Bono said magic. “I think we have to give them a reason to be interested in it. I just want to write great music, because that’s where U2 started – with big choruses, clear ideas. Let’s get back there, but with Some gasoline and some matches to do this.

In his discussions with others British Broadcasting CorporationAdditionally, The Edge turned its attention to the return of drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who missed U2’s 40-show residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas from 2023 to 2024 while recovering from surgery.

“We’re in a great phase where we don’t have to think too much, we’re just making music and loving the process,” The Edge noted. “Then we figure out where things belong, so there are a few different projects.

“Of course it was U2, Larry was great and we had him in the studio,” he continued. “He’s good, he’s relaxed, but he’s back on drums and still recording with us, so we’ll be doing a lot more before the end of the year.”