The free-download phase of U2’s new album Songs of Innocence is drawing to a close. On October 13, the same day that the band plans to roll out the album on physical formats, Songs of Innocence will no longer be available for free on iTunes.
In anticipation of the release, U2 have shared the cover art for the physical version. The stark black-and-white image of drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. embracing his son was captured by fashion photographer Glen Luchford; check it out above.
In a statement posted on their website, the band pointed out an aesthetic link between the Songs of Innocence artwork and that of the covers of 1979's Boy and 1983's War (both of which featured the face of Peter Rowen, the younger brother of one of Bono's childhood friends).
"We've always been about community in U2, about family and friends," Bono said. "Songs Of Innocence is the most intimate album we've ever made. With this record we were looking for the raw, naked and personal, to strip everything back." He added that the cover reflects the themes of the album, "how holding on to your own innocence is a lot harder than holding on to someone else's."
The regular single CD of the album comes with a 24-page booklet, while a deluxe edition includes two sixteen-page booklets, acoustic versions of six of the album's songs, and four bonus tracks: "Lucifer's Hands", "The Crystal Ballroom", "The Troubles" (alternative version) and "Sleep Like a Baby Tonight" (Alternative Perspective Mix by Tchad Blake). The vinyl release will include a remix of "The Crystal Ballroom".
