U2 – Days of Ash Review

Old school political activism from Bono and friends is what you can expect from Days of Ash. Performative before performative had entered common dialogue. For U2, political action is a statement here, a slice of nonsense there. For a time, it worked. But there is a pressure to be present for all the conflicts and shortcomings, and now that Bono has finished his time as charity drive frontman, preacher of the obvious, it feels a bit like hand-wringing from a group whose last successful political commentary came twenty-two years ago. Days of Ash is at least a taste of what to expect from the band as they gear up for a new album, which, if it is any good, will also be their first solid release in twenty-two years. Coincidence? Probably. You would be hard-pressed to get much in the way of inspired political commentary from the band now, especially after their retread of old material on Songs of Surrender proved they can’t even build on foundations they themselves made.  

But there are little signs of hope to be found on Days of Ash, a six-track EP which reunites U2 with producer Jacknife Lee. He was the man behind their sound on How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, and for that, U2 fans can cling to some semblance of hope. Still, nothing says like politically charged, voices of the voiceless kicking against the popular narrative, like an Ed Sheeran feature. U2’s problem is their awkward spot between legacy act and assuming their historic popularity is enough of a reason to warrant speaking out. You need something to say to speak out, and that’s what Days of Ash lacks. Solid rock opener American Obituary is just that, solid rock work which fails to live up to the grandiose sense found in its title. There is plenty to work with as the death of modern America continues, but U2 sounds incapable of capturing it. They’re Americanised in the way The Rolling Stones were, forgetting their roots and origins to capture the scene of a country they have commercial ties to.  

An entire generation of once prominent commentators is now on the back foot, believing what they once sang of is enough to carry their message of hope in a truly hopeless time. It’s not that they aren’t listening to the previous generation, they’re just not sure how to interpret the next steps more than statements and chants. U2 gets close with The Tears of Things, but it’s reduced to another hollow gesture. Bono sounds great, all the same, the band sounds tight enough in the sound they’re chasing. Song of the Future hinges on irony as it feels like it was written years ago, dated in the present day, let alone this hopeful space Bono sees ahead of us. Instrumentally sound, vocally strong, the band still has the fundamentals of what makes them a thrill to experience, but their writing, the strength they once displayed as cultural catalysts and rebellious thrill-seekers, is long gone. Those left listening to Days of Ash had their own pride die alongside U2’s.  

Take One Life at a Time, the objective is to save the world, but the specific actions or even the emotional resolution are absent. At least they’re not dealing with the stripped-back sound Songs of Surrender had, but that was an eye-opening experience with the ban,d which highlighted that, more than anything, they just don’t have that magic to them anymore. They’re playing the usual themes out until they expire. The Edge has some nice moments on guitar throughout the Days of Ash EP, but that feels more inevitable than striking. Nothing exciting, and what’s found in place where thrills should be is an inevitability that now serves as a shortcoming. What little works on Days of Ash is still well short of what U2 could do, but no longer can, as cultural commentators.