New U2 album on the horizon for 2013

U2’s record company in Britain, Mercury Records, has put the Irish group on its schedule for a new album release in 2013.

It will be the long-awaited follow-up to their last studio release, No Line On The Horizon, back in 2009.

And according to singer Bono’s best pal Gavin Friday, the new sound is “really very, very, different” to what fans may expect.

While Bono and guitarist The Edge are currently holidaying in the south of France with their families, the band have been busy working on new material for most of the year so far.

Friday added: “I’ve heard a fair bit of it. Danger Mouse is producing it, so it’s quite different.”

The band recorded a follow-up to No Line On The Horizon a couple of years ago, but decided not to release it as they felt it wasn’t up to their usual standard.

Earlier this year, Bono revealed how he thought the upcoming album would be their best in a long time.

“We’ve had the best three weeks in the studio since 1979. I think the other band members are very aware that U2 have to do something very special to have a reason to exist right now.”

Some of the new songs were debuted live on the U2360 world tour in 2010. These included ‘Return Of The Stingray Guitar’ which was an instrumental track and the opening number on some dates on the European leg of the tour in 2010.

Another number was ‘Glastonbury’, which they wrote in 2009 and had hoped to perform at the famed festival in 2010. In the end the band stuck to their greatest hits for the appearance at Glastonbury.

Members of the official U2 fan club have also been able to order copies of a unique live double CD recorded at different venues during the world tour.