Just how intimate would you like your relationship with Bono to get? Because there are moments during U2’s latest release – a lo-fi reimagining of their stadium rockers – when his stadium-weary croon is so high in The Edge’s production mix that you can practically feel his stubble brushing your earlobes. Listening to Songs of Surrender with airpods almost made me reach for a Q-tip to wipe away his spittle from my eardrums.
The idea for the album – which features 40 unplugged versions of classics like “One”, “Beautiful Day” and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” alongside deeper cuts from the band’s long career – arose in the muffled mood of lockdown. Maybe the earnest, common room strumming and sombre piano would have resonated more powerfully had it been released back then, when time bent to make sense of such lengthy releases. But it’s 2023 now, and we need the wide-horizon howl and electric ambition of U2’s classic sound, not this sleepy faux-hipster slog.
