Is it possible that U2's next album will bring something completely new to the table? U2's lead singer Bono believes so.

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight about his new film, Bono: Stories of Surrender, at Cannes, the “With or Without You” singer was asked what's next for the group. Like he has said recently, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. are in the studio cooking something fresh up.

“Edge has been whispering, ‘Nostalgia is the thing of the past,'” Bono said. “We've got to get to the future. You figure out the past in order to get back to now, and that's how we get into the future.”

He then made a bold promise about what they were working on. Bono claims it's something different for fans, which should excite them.

“I've been in the studio with Edge, Adam, and Larry,” he revealed. “We've got something coming, and it's a music that you, I, or any of us in that room have not heard before. We're having a moment.”

When does U2's next album come out?

It is unknown when U2's next album will be released. Bassist Adam Clayton recently called it a “work in progress” but said they hope to finish it by the “end of the year.”

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“The only thing that I can say is that it's a work in progress,” Clayton said. “We do not have a deadline as such, but I would hope that by the end of the year, we would have some information to share. And perhaps we could suggest something for next year.”

So, 2026 could be the target release date for U2's next album. If it comes out in 2026, it will have been nearly a decade since their last album of original work.

Their last album, Songs of Surrender, was a collection of 40 re-recorded songs from their back catalog. It tied in with Bono's memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.

Currently, Bono is doing press for his Stories of Surrender film, which was directed by Blonde filmmaker Andrew Dominik. It held its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Now, the film will premiere on Apple TV+ on May 30, 2025. It chronicles one of his Stories of Surrender Tour shows, where Bono performs U2 songs and excerpts from his book.