As Bono prepares to release his new memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, the U2 frontman has revealed his famous band has two new albums in the works.
In an interview with The New York Times, Bono reported that U2 has amassed “about 20” new songs and notes the band “almost finished this album called Songs of Ascent, which we’re not putting out. We’re going to put out a rock ‘n’ roll album.”
The singer also played the interviewer a pair of tracks from Songs of Ascent, titled “The Bard’s Last Breath” and “Smile.”
He described the latter tune as “a very cool, Beatle-y thing,” adding, “It’s a ridiculous pop sort of Rubber Soul, isn’t it?”
Bono said U2 will eventually release Songs of Ascent, but first up will be a “noisy, uncompromising, unreasonable guitar album.”
He further explained, “In among that unreasonableness, it is likely that I will put the part of me, the anger that hasn’t been managed, to good use. While I am, with this book, trying to make peace with myself and my maker, I have no intentions of making peace with the world. That’s not on the agenda.”
Later in the interview, the singer maintained that U2 rediscovered its knack for songwriting with 2014’s Songs of Innocence and 2017’s Songs of Experience.
He added, “Now we need to put the firepower of rock ‘n’ roll back. I don’t know who is going to make our [expletive]-off rock ‘n’ roll album. You almost want an AC/DC, you want [hit-making producer] Mutt Lange. The approach. The discipline. The songwriting discipline. That’s what we want.”
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story will be released on November 1.
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