Bono has revealed that U2 has a new album ready for release that the band will hold off on issuing. The legendary singer spoke to The New York Times ahead of the November 1st publication of his memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, and shed light on the new album — which will not be the band's next release.
Bono explained, “We have 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. So we’re not putting this out, but I’m telling you it’s awesome . . . The feeling of The Edge‘s and my songwriting together is at a very high level. My phone here is packed with new songs. We were tempted to put them out — out of competition. But we felt that the material was so strong that it deserved time to make sure people heard about them as well as heard them. When we’re in the room together with Larry (Mullen, Jr.) and Adam (Clayton), it’s great. I’m excited. . . There’s about 20 of them finished.”
Bono characterized what he wants the next U2 album to sound like instead: “A noisy, uncompromising, unreasonable guitar album. 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.”
Bono went on to say, “I would not be surprised if U2 makes the best album of its life in the next (few) years. Not because the world needs it, but because the band might. That's a great reason to go into the studio.”
Bono explained that U2 has always gone into the studio with a certain amount of reverence and respect for the creative process: “It is a big deal, and it's a very, very big deal for us. When we go into a studio, it's kind of like — it's a temple, y'know, it's a place where we really have to give ourselves and get the music. And we don't do it lightly.”