New Song: DJ Martin Garrix & U2 Collaborate On “Fireflies” – Is It Better Than “Street Of Dreams”?
You’ll have to forgive me but I’ll be the first to admit, I have no idea who DJ Martin Garrix is nor am I familiar with any of his work. I guess I’m not up on the whole pantheon of DJs today…I think it was Bowie who sang, “I am a DJ, I am what I play…” In the old days, DJs were the guys who you called to request a song be played on the radio.
Apparently a while ago Garrix collaborated with Bono and the Edge on a song. It now appears U2 in its entirety has collaborated with Martin for a new song “Fireflies.” I’m told the song debuted at Tomorrowland 2026, an electronic dance music festival in Antwerp.
As horrifying as that description sounds to a rock n roll fan, this song is not half bad. I almost like it better than U2’s recent single “Street Of Dreams.” Almost. At least Bono’s vocals are slightly less auto-tuned on this song. I have to say, it does sound like a track you’d play at the end of a rave as everybody’s MDMA is wearing off. Hydrates, kids, hydrate.
It’s been an interesting year for U2 in 2026. On Ash Wednesday we got the surprise EP Days Of Ash. I was astonished how good the material on Ash was. It’d been a while since I’d heard U2 sound so earnest and driven and frankly, revitalized. “Tears Of Things” and “American Obituary” were some of the best songs they’d done in years.
Then, around Easter, U2 surprised us again with a second EP, called Easter Lily. I didn’t think they’d top Ash, but damned if I didn’t like Easter Lily even more. “Resurrection Song” and “Easter Parade” rank amongst their most powerful work. Hell, I loved “Song For Hal” and the Edge sings that one. And don’t sleep on “In A Life.”
The internet has posited theories that the songs on the two EPs were from an album they recorded that they were going to call Songs Of Ascent. It was to follow the Songs Of…theme they’ve been enamored with for a while. How very William Blake of them…
We got Songs Of Innocence (2014), Songs Of Experience (2017), and to accompany Bono’s book, Songs Of Surrender. I don’t even consider that last one to be a real U2 album but maybe that’s just me. The band apparently scrapped the aforementioned Songs Of Ascent to focus on “making a rock n roll record.” They’ve realized they need to rock more.
After the EPs, they released a single “Street Of Dreams,” which I thought would herald the announcement of this new rocking LP. As of this writing, the album is still not announced. I have to admit, “Street Of Dreams,” while not terrible, is not a great U2 song. And I think we could all use a great U2 song these dark days.
And now, as they claim to be headed into a rock direction, we get this new song “Fireflies,” a collab with a DJ, this Martin Garrix. I was nervous. But then I heard the song. Yes, it starts in a gauzy haze the way most pop rock sounds these days.
But then Larry’s drums and more importantly the Edge’s guitar kicks in. The Edge single handedly elevates this song above the pop, crap dead end I thought it was headed for. About a minute and a half into the track it’s like the Edge says, “Fuck it, I’m gonna play my guitar,” and the track takes off for me.
Here’s a sample:
I’ll say, the more I listen, the more I think this might just be better than “Street Of Dreams.” I never thought I’d say that about a “DJ collab” with U2. I mean, sure, it’s no “Where The Streets Have No Name,” but it’s not a bad way to spend four minutes.
It’s hard to hate on a song that ends with, “We can hurt, or we can mend, Terrorize or transcend, No beginning and no end, Yeah, we’re alive.”
As for us down here at B&V, we’re still sitting around anxiously awaiting U2’s new album. I’m hoping it’s more of the music from the EP vs “Street Of Dreams, but I’ve written before about the poisoning effects of expectations. Sometimes “you just have to let art… flow… over you.”
The Stones, Paul McCartney and even Ringo have graced us with great late-career records this year… let’s hope U2 follows suit! Until then, enjoy “Fireflies.”
Cheers!