U2’s new album is "simplicity" at its best.
The group – which includes Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. – are gearing up to release ‘Songs of Experience’ on December 1 and made sure not to include any "half-baked ideas" on there.
Edge told The Sunday Times’ Culture magazine: "Simplicity is where music is at. It’s tight. There’s no half-baked ideas."
It comes after Bono revealed how a "major fright" for his life shaped U2’s new album when he suffered a "brush with mortality" in 2016.
He said: "Edge wasn’t fibbing when he said we had to stop and take account of what was going on in the world. He just didn’t want to mention what was going on in my world. I don’t want to get too into the details of it, for fear of the melodramatic reality TV kerfuffle. A lot of people have these moments, I’ve had a few. Not quite at this level."
Whilst Edge added: "It was serious enough that he genuinely had a major fright. But where that brought him to as a writer was an amazing place."
Though the record was first expected to reflect the political climate, Bono admitted his experiences made it more personal than they planned.
He added: "The personal and political apocalypse came together. But I think, if we’re honest, the personal elbowed the political out of the way …
"It’s just one of those moments when nothing else matters. So what do you have to say for yourself? And what do you want to say to the people that you love?"
U2’s new album is ‘simplicity’ at its best
