U2 have pressed the pause button on their new album, as drummer Larry Mullen Jr recovers from neck surgery.
The 62 year old is currently recuperating from surgery, which forced him to miss out on the band’s ongoing, ground-breaking Vegas residency at the MSG Sphere.
Mullen Jr’s absence means that U2 are unable to release new tunes.
Mullen Brings A “psychic force” To U2
Speaking in a recent interview, U2 lead singer Bono has revealed that Mullen Jr’s absence from the group means that they are not able to pen new tracks at the moment.
“Starting work on new songs is somewhat tied to Larry’s situation”, Bono explained. “Could he commit to an album project? I don’t know”.
Bono also stated that his bandmate is a huge loss to U2, as he brings a “psychic force” to the band, adding that playing without him is “beyond the beyond of ‘tough’.
Bono continued, “It was the late ’70s, the last time we played without Larry. I think a motorcycle fell on his foot, and he couldn’t play, and we had a drummer called Eric [Briggs]”.
He added, “That wasn’t a great feeling, but Eric was very good-looking, and Larry hurried back – he hopped behind the kit! But it’s not just that, you know, it’s a psychic force that Larry brings”.
The singer also added that a planned acoustic album, ‘Songs of Ascent’, is on the back burner, as he is keen for U2 to release a “noisy, uncompromising, unreasonable guitar album” first.
Speaking ahead of their residency, U2 bassist Adam Clayton insisted that Larry Mullen Jr’s presence would be missed on stage. More on this from Nova here.
