Could U2’s Next Album Feature Folk Music?

U2 guitarist the Edge said the band is working with Brian Eno on music with an Irish folk element, which could appear on their next album.

Following 2017’s Songs of Experience, U2 released Songs of Surrender last year, featuring new recordings of old material. They’ve just released How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb, containing unreleased sessions from 2004.

In 2023 the Edge hinted that he was interested in making more aggressive music, saying, “I’ve been working on new stuff … that’s much more vital and requires a U2 band sound to fulfill it. I’m not sure U2 are going to turn into AC/DC exactly. … But I’m absolutely convinced that the guitar is going to be front and center.”

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In a new interview with BBC Radio 2, the Edge referred to “crazy new music” under production with Eno, adding that “Bono and I are working on some crazy kind of sci-fi Irish folk music, which could end up becoming a part of the new U2 album. We’re not sure yet; we’ll see.”

He added, “Part of our kind of process is to go so widely away from, off track, and … the process of bringing things back on track is kind of how you get sort of unique sounding music.”

The guitarist also mentioned that “a bunch of beautiful Irish musicians” were involved in the project.

Larry Mullen Has Returned to Work with U2

“We’re at that great phase where we don’t have to overthink it,” he continued. “We’re just making music and loving that process. And then we’ll figure out where things belong afterwards. So there’s a couple of different projects.”

Drummer Larry Mullen, who’d taken time out since September 2023 for surgery, has also returned to work with U2. Describing the reunion as “wonderful,” the Edge noted, “We’ve got him in the studio. He’s good. He’s taking it easy, but he’s back in the saddle on the drums [and] doing some recording with us. And so we’ll be doing a bit more of that before the end of the year.”