U2’s new album is an optimistic plea to a new generation

Ask any college student what they think of U2, and if they even know who you’re talking about, you’re likely to hear all about their 2014 release debacle for “Songs of Innocence.” Released for free to hundreds of millions of ITunes users, the band was scathed on social media for an invasion of privacy due to the automatic placement of the album in people’s libraries. Since then, the band has attempted to claw its way back to popular relevance, but it has not been a simple path. Despite having successful supporting tours for the 2014 release and for the 30-year anniversary of “The Joshua Tree,” the band hasn’t released new music since and Bono has faced several health scares.