U2 are back with a new single. A few weeks after the release of “Street Of Dreams”, the Irish band released “Fireflies”, created together with Dutch DJ and producer Martin Garrix.
The song premiered on July 17 during Garrix's closing set at Tomorrowland Belgium, where The Edge surprisingly also took to the stage to perform it live. The following evening the producer proposed “Fireflies” again as the finale of the concert in Quebec City, Canada.
The collaboration comes as both Martin Garrix and U2 are working on new albums expected later this year, although it has not yet been confirmed whether “Fireflies” will form part of either project. Listen to “Fireflies” below.
The song boasts a long list of musicians involved. Guitarists include The Edge, Martin Garrix, Mark Otten, Manuel Gardner Fernandes and Duncan Stewart, while on drums include Larry Mullen, Jacknife Lee, Duncan Stewart and Bram Van Den Berg. The latter is the drummer who replaced Mullen during U2's residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas in 2023-2024, while the Irish musician was out of action undergoing surgery. It was Martin Garrix who introduced Van Den Berg to the band. Speaking about the single, Garrix said: “'Fireflies' has a truly unique feel and is a special song that we started working on six summers ago. It was thrilling and surreal to finally premiere it at Tomorrowland with The Edge. I had worked with Bono and The Edge before, but by collaborating with the whole band I was able to capture their chemistry and understand why U2 is who they are. They are incredible friends and collaborators, and it was a real honor to work with them again.”
The Edge also expressed his enthusiasm: “Martin and I have known each other for a long time and every time we meet there is a real spirit of adventure. Playing 'Fireflies' for the first time at Tomorrowland, in front of one of the most passionate festival audiences in the world, was a very strong emotion… in fact, maybe I even liked it too much. It reminded me why I love performing outdoors: that's where I truly feel limitless.”
The cover of the single combines two photographs: that of U2, taken by Kurt Iswarienko during a concert in Sao Paulo in 2017, and an image of Martin Garrix probably taken in 2023.artwork it is signed by Jordy Aarts, graphic designer And art director from the Dutch manufacturer.
In recent days U2 had released the first single from the new album, “Street Of Dreams”. Produced by Jacknife Lee, the song offers the unmistakable sound of U2 created by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. who in September will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the group's formation. The video for the song was shot in May in Mexico City where the band also participated in the final of the 2026 Street Child World Cup tournament at Parque Ecològico Lago de Texcoco. Filming near Plaza Santo Domingo attracted a large crowd despite bad weather which also caused a generator to fail. So a local family welcomed the four band members home to allow them to finish filming from the balcony.
Watch the video for “Streets Of Dreams” below.
The arrival of “Street Of Dreams” confirms a different strategy compared to that adopted in recent months. In fact, at the time of the publication of the two EPs, the band had made it clear that the real album would arrive later with a more traditional promotional campaign. “We are in the studio, still working on a loud, chaotic and 'unreasonably colourful' album to play live. We will try to organize something more sensational and lavish in the future to remind the rest of the world that we exist,” Bono wrote.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
