Bono has revealed that U2‘s next studio album is not only in the works — it’s on a whole new wavelength. In a recent interview at the Cannes Film Festival, where he promoted his upcoming Apple TV+ special Stories of Surrender (streaming May 30), the frontman shared a cryptic but electrifying update: “It sounds like future.”
The album, which remains untitled, will be the band’s first full studio release since 2017’s Songs of Experience. Bono emphasized that the project is about moving forward while confronting the past: “Sometimes you’ve got to deal with the past in order to get to the future and to the present. To get back to now is our desire.”
Encouragingly, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. — who missed U2’s monumental Las Vegas Sphere residency due to neck surgery — is officially back. Bono confirmed the band has been playing together again: “His playing is at its most innovative… He’s just all about the band.”
Fans can expect a return to the raw, live energy of a band firing on all cylinders, rather than a heavily produced sound. Bono noted: “To capture a moment of a rock & roll band in full flight is at the heart of this record.”
While no release date has been announced, excitement is building around both the sonic direction and the renewed chemistry between band members. There’s also buzz around a potential Pop anniversary box set, although Bono says nothing is confirmed yet.
With Bono and The Edge both hinting at a vault full of material, it’s clear U2 is far from done — and perhaps closer than ever to reinvention.