U2 have a lot of recording projects in the works, including their long-promised Songs Of Ascent and possibly a rock album inspired by AC/DC. But first, they’re releasing new recordings of 40 of their old songs.

Songs Of Surrender, out St. Patrick’s Day (did you know U2 are Irish), is a companion to Bono’s recent memoir Surrender, which told the story behind 40 U2 songs. Clips of the “reimagined” tracks were threaded into the Surrender audiobook. The band teased Songs Of Surrender this week by mailing fans a handwritten photocopied letter from the Edge. The letter begins:

When a song becomes well known, it’s always associated with a particular voice. I can’t think of “Tangled Up in Blue” without the reedy timbre of Bob Dylan or “All the Time in the World” without the unique voice of Louis Armstrong.

So what happens when a voice develops and experience and maturity give it additional resonance? U2 have been around long enough to know what that is like. It’s true for us all, but it’s particularly true for Bono.

Today the band has announced the release date for Songs Of Surrender and shared a trailer, which features a reworked “Beautiful Day” and which you can watch below.