What we know about the release of U2's next album

U2's upcoming album's rumoured release date is sooner than expected. While initially the new album wasn't scheduled to drop until 2018, now it seems that it may be here as soon as December 1. That date is also World AIDS Day, and for the event the album will be released in collaboration with Project Red, Bono's fundraiser to help end the disease. Before then, however, fans can expect new singles to be getting some radio airtime as soon as September.
Up until now, Bono himself had been vague about the album's release, saying that while he'd like to release the album "before 2018" but then adding “Don’t listen to me.”
2fm's Dave Fanning, who's already had a listen to the album, says it stays true to its title Songs of Experience, as it's written from a more mature place in adulthood, while the songs themselves don't stray too far from the band's roots. “I had a listen to it at Bono’s house and it’s not unlike Songs of ­Innocence, or the Joshua Tree," he told the Irish Sun. “The songs I heard were more personal from Bono, singing about later on after he left ­Cedarwood Road. Reflecting back on his life. I like the way Bono comes clean and wears his heart on his sleeve. This is very, very personal.”