Easter Lily EP / No Kings Here

We bring news of a couple of new releases that may have passed you by.

U2: Easter Lily EP

Photo: Anton Corbijn

I have to confess that I totally missed the boat on U2s first new music in a few years (first original stuff since 2017s Songs of Experience), when the Days of Ash EP came out in February, and that has now been swiftly followed by the Easter Lily EP.

With the promise of a new album later in 2026, these two precursor EPs have taken some different angles. Days of Ash was a direct confrontation to current events, with themes of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the murder of activists around the world; Renee Good (US), Sarina Esmailzadeh (Iran) and Awdah Hathaleen (Palestine).

Then, on 2 April, Easter Lily EP dropped, following a much different and more reflective tone. These are personal songs, of reflection, hope, loss, all with strong religious undertones. And the good news for fans of the bands mid-80s period, there are some strong whiffs of that in here.

Song for Hal: we open up straight away with chopping, chiming guitar that could be straight off of the Unforgettable Fire. Interestingly, it's The Edge that takes vocal duties on this one, and he is strong and clear. It is a Covid ode to friend of the bad, Hal Willner, who died at Easter 2020; "And as the morning light, stretches out across the floor, can't believe it's another day, and life goes on like it did before."

In A Life: incessant squeaky guitar sits over a steady hi-hat rhythm. The drums threaten to break out, then back off, before it finally builds into what is (I hate to say) a slightly weedy chorus. But then, just as you fear disappointment - it starts to soar, full of those echo-laden notes that The Edge specialises in.

Scars: we get an urgent riff over a rolling drum beat, backed with a lovely throbbing bass line. Bono still manages to hit those impressive falsetto notes, in a chorus that sways over a staccato drum bursts.

Resurrection Song: a pilgrimage song - eerie sounds lie under some breathy echo notes - like it's like Bad all over again (not a bad thing). The choppy riff starts, and the drums kick in - and we're off. It's an uplifting tune, until it heads into a quiet middle 8, before fading away.

Easter Parade: unsurprisingly a devotional tune. It has big chords - with some Joshua Tree guitars - with slabs of funky bass, all leading to some lovely layered vocals in the chorus.

Coexist: a lullaby for parents with children in war zones, with sounds added by Brian Eno. It starts with a strange "whhuuummm" over the softest of organs, with Bono's lyrics spoken, suggesting heartbreak and tragedy, "Someone's stolen what was beautiful," before his vocals go fuzzy as the refrain is almost shouted - "Bless the Lord."

U2 are often derided, easy to poke fun at, because there has been some over-sized egos displayed at times. But if you focus on that and not the music, you miss the fact that they were - and as this EP demonstrates at times, still are - a phenomenally talented band.

A strong return: 7.5 / 10

Gang of Four: No Kings Here

We have some more topical stuff here - I think the title probably says it all (unless your head has been buried under a news free rock the last six months).

Gang of Four may now be down to two originals (Jon King and Hugo Burnham), but somehow all of the working parts remain, like they have harnessed the ghosts of Andy Gill and Dave Allen. The song roars out of the blocks, like it is still 1979 and Entertainment! is fresh out. That same scratchy, angled guitar noise, backed with a big ominous funk bass riff (could almost be Zeppelin) and thundering drums.

The lyrics are perhaps more direct than we might be used to, but the subject matter is important, the message clear. As we hit the chorus, Jon King exhorts, "No Kings, No Kings, NO KINGS.... HERE!" We get this lovely descending riff matched between guitar and bass lines, before we get some harmonics that could have been ripped from Gill on Paralysed.

Gang of Four: No Kings Here

Straight, direct and on point: 7 / 10