Full Review of the song (for friends who still haven't heard it):
First of all, one of the best things is that the sound of the song is much better than Saints ... drums sound ... LIKE DRUMS
(unlike Saints), also guitars are arguably better, there're more details, more sound, etc. Edge is very present with his voice through the song
Second, well, it's a beach clip song...
so there's nothing much to say about that. It's not a bad song, it's catchy and poppy one, but that doesn't mean "superficial" or "disposable", it's just that chorus with falsetto. But the verses features intersing Radioheadish chords (maybe that's the reason why the clip presents a bit of Fake Plastic Trees first
). For example, immediatly before the chorus, the guitars reminds me Street Spirit (fade out).
The strings are very well done, because they are in tune with the guitars and it doesn't sound cheesy and it reminds me the strings of Sunday Bloody Sunday.
The main problem is that the song isn't original or innovative at all: some parts of the song are pretty much Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, and the middle part of the song is exactly as the last part of Electrical Storm "Baby Don't Cry".
I don't see any new elements, instruments or sounds in the song
and that's so dissapointing because it shows that U2 are out of ideas and they still can't leave the ATYCLB era
Rick Rubin, that HIGHLY OVERRATED producer shows that he has a little (if any) to add to U2's music. This song just sounds like ... another U2 song, and that say it all. He has never had truly fresh ideas for producing, he's completely short of ideas and he has nothing to add to the albums he works. He just has his pathetic excuse for doing something "touching, straight, simple" but in the end his "work" does nothing at all with the songs. just listen to Neil Diamond's 12 songs. The record just sound like a professional mastering collection of demos. He shouldn't keep producing U2 stuff anymore, really.
Overall, a nice song, but in the end isn't a remarkable song like U2's classics, not even close