Easter Lily (EP)

U2's lead vocalist Bono commented on the surprise release of the EP, the band's second in six weeks, and the nature of its songs, stating:

"We ended up asking very personal questions like: Are our own relationships up to these challenging times? How hard do you fight for friendship? Can our faith survive the mangling of meaning that those algorithms love to reward? Is all religion rubbish and still ripping us apart...? Or are there answers to find in its crevices? Are there ceremonies, rituals, dances that we might be missing in our lives?"^[3]

He further remarked that the band were inspired by Patti Smith's album Easter and the season of Spring as a time of rebirth and renewal in the context of the Christian holiday Easter that celebrates the Resurrection of Christ.^[3]

Easter Lily opens with "Song for Hal," which is a tribute to the band's friend, the music producer Hal Willner, who died in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The song features rare lead vocals from guitarist the Edge. The second song, "In a Life", celebrates friendship and is described by critics as "a watershed of emotion and transformation" and "an extraordinary ode to their own friendship in U2 that has endured through decades."^[4] The Edge said of the song: "I'm reminded not to take friends for granted... none of us know how long we are here. People tell me our music is very emotionally impactful on them. What they don’t know is that we get the same feelings when we play the songs."^[4]

The third track, "Scars", is described as a song of encouragement and acceptance that draws inspiration from early 1980s post-punk music;^[5] the Edge cited Siouxsie and the Banshees as a musical inspiration.^[6] Regarding the lyrics, he stated: "Scars are helpful, mistakes are helpful — if they can be owned, that's the key. When they're hidden or denied, that's bad news. That's the root of narcissism, not self-love but fake perfection. Bono takes this idea someplace else with a reference to the wounds of Christ, reminding us that they were inflicted by the State combined with religious authority. Church and State is a dangerous combo."^[5]

"Resurrection Song", the fourth song on the EP, dates back to a demo that the Edge created with producer Jacknife Lee in 2016.^[5] Described as a "pilgrimage, a road trip into the unknown with a lover or friend",^[7] its lyrics point to defiance against religious cynicism.^[8] The song segues into "Easter Parade", which also carries the themes of faith and doubt, the mystery of the Resurrection, and transcendence in the context of current political and social upheaval. It follows the tradition of songs by Johnny Cash, Patti Smith, and Bob Marley, as well as U2 songs including "40" and "Yahweh". The Edge explained that it began as a retread of older U2 songs before being "saved" in the studio by Bono and Lee.^[8]

The final track, "COEXIST (I Will Bless the Lord at All Times?)", features a soundscape developed by Brian Eno. The song is described as a "lullaby for parents of children caught up in war"^[7] and "part hymn, part lullaby" with a "spellbinding palette of sound".^[9]

Easter Lily was surprise released on 3 April 2026, coinciding with Good Friday. Initially, it was released only digitally, rather than on any physical mediums.^[1] It is the second in a pair of EPs by U2 to bookend the Lent season, following Days of Ash, which was released in February on Ash Wednesday. Easter Lily was accompanied by another issue of Propaganda, U2's official magazine. The 54-page issue described Easter Lily as an internal response to external political and social events that were addressed in Days of Ash.^[8]

More information Review scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Financial Times	[11]
Mojo	[12]
The Scotsman	[13]

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Keith Cameron of Mojo said that the EP "feels like the strongest collection of material U2 have mustered in at least 20 years, reuniting the band's elemental melodic urges and the spiritual fire that somehow got lost amid the vanilla sonic landscapes of last decade's Songs Of Innocence/Songs Of Experience albums".^[12] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times described the songs as having a "redemptive but not cloying" tone and called "COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?)" as the highlight of the EP, describing it as "a Brian Eno-assisted electronic meditation about children and war" and that "it restores belief in U2 as a musical force".^[11] Comparing the EP to Days of Ash, Fiona Shepherd of The Scotsman called Easter Lily a "lighter collection offer[ing] gentle support across six songs of 'friendship, faith, endurance and renewal'.^[13] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic called the record "another good sign that U2 still have much to say and the music to back up the message".^[10]

Credits adapted from Tidal.^[14]