Exclusive: U2 Films New Video in Malibu.

Photo by: Nicole DeRosa

U2 was spotted at Zuma Beach in Malibu, California on Friday, September 12th to film a new video. Singer, Bono along with fellow band mates, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr., were seen walking along the beautiful coastal shores in the affluent, beachside community as a film crew followed along beside them.

Photo by: Nicole DeRosa

The video shoot, follows the surprise release of U2‘s new album Songs of Innocence as a free download to iTunes and Beats Music account holders on Sept. 9th. Their first single “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” quickly entered a pair of Billboard radio charts.

While reaction to the album’s unorthodox release has ranged from praise for its unprecedented reach to disparagement for its automatic residence in consumers’ accounts, rock radio programmers playing “Miracle” are largely enthusiastic about welcoming new music from a cornerstone act.

Via Billboard:

“All of the supposed angst over this new release was way overblown. It sounds like a pretty solid record to me,” Bob Waugh, PD of adult alternative WRNR Baltimore, says of Songs. “What’s that saying? ‘Once a name, always a threat.’ Until proven otherwise, U2 is still U2.” WRNR played “Miracle” 21 times in the week ending Sept. 14.

Adult alternative KPRI San Diego music director Mark “Mookie” Kaczor says that the new song’s sound, as well as U2’s prominence, spurred its airplay; the station played the track 23 times in its first week, tied with Sirius XM‘s The Spectrum for the top total by any format reporter.

“Our audience has grown up listening to U2. We immediately took notice of the news story when the album became available for free. This is a great song to stomp out of the gates with, and an homage to a musical legend, as well.”

U2‘s vaunted history could also work against the band, Daniels cautions. With the most No. 1s (11, a mark shared with Coldplay) in the Adult Alternative Songs chart’s 18-year history, as well as the most entries (39) in the Alternative Songs chart’s 26-year archives, “the challenge for U2 is the expectation that it must deliver The Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby every time out. As long as U2 makes good records, the band will be viable.”

Here’s what Bono has to say about blasting Songs of Innocence onto users’ iPhones:

“People who haven’t heard our music, or weren’t remotely interested, might play us for the first time because we’re in their library.

And for the people out there who have no interest in checking us out, look at it this way… the blood, sweat and tears of some Irish guys are in your junk mail.”