U2 will release Carnaval de Luz, their first album of new songs in nine years, on Nov. 13, the band announced on Sept. 24. The 12-track record closes with “Torn,” which features the final vocal performance from Dolly Parton, who died last month.
“It’s an extraordinary collection of songs,” bassist Adam Clayton told Rolling Stone, “and it’s the culmination of the work that everyone has been doing for 50 years.” The announcement lands as U2 marks a milestone: the band first played together in drummer Larry Mullen Jr.’s kitchen on Sept. 25, 1976 — 50 years ago this week.
First New Songs Since 2017
The album follows two surprise EPs U2 released this year, Days of Ash and Easter Lily, which turn out to be conceptually linked to the new record via the liturgical calendar, with carnival preceding Lent and Easter. Together, the three projects add up to 24 new songs.
Bono described the album as “anarchic,” a characterization borne out by the lead single, “Silencio,” a concise, raging punk tune. “It’s a statement of intent,” guitarist The Edge said of the album’s opening track. “Whatever you thought you were gonna hear when you put on the new U2 album, you were not expecting this.”
“Not in all my time working with bands or artists have I seen anybody work as hard, with so much intensity and joy.” — Garret “Jacknife” Lee, producer
The Creative Team and Guest Stars
Carnaval de Luz was produced by Garret “Jacknife” Lee, who has worked with U2 since 2004’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Longtime U2 collaborator Brian Eno co-wrote and played synths on three tracks, including the opener, “Go (Carnaval de Luz).” Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid co-wrote “Torn” with Parton and the band, Martin Garrix has a writing credit on “Glorify,” and Ryan Tedder is credited with additional production on “Silencio.”
Much of the album’s energy stems from Mullen’s return after a debilitating neck injury. “I couldn’t play. I didn’t think I’d play again,” he said. “So there was a renewed energy when we got into the studio.” Clayton noted the bass is “louder than it’s been on the more recent records,” while The Edge said the band worked as hard on the album as anything they’ve ever made, adding, “There’s no complacency. There’s just the same old struggle.”
The full tracklist is: “Go (Carnaval de Luz),” “La Reina,” “Street of Dreams,” “The Mirror Maker (Rosalía),” “Superficiality,” “If the World Is at War We Better Not Be,” “Silencio,” “The Greatest Show on Earth,” “Glorify,” “Midnight Sunshine,” “Can’t Stop Us Now,” and “Torn” (feat. Dolly Parton).
Why It Matters
The album gives U2 its most prolific period in decades and carries significant emotional weight: Carnaval de Luz preserves the final vocal performance of Dolly Parton, who died in August 2026, making “Torn” a historically significant goodbye from one of country music’s most beloved figures. For a band marking its 50th anniversary, the release is both a creative statement and a testament to resilience — it exists only because Mullen, who feared he would never play again, recovered. In an era when legacy acts often coast on catalog, U2 is releasing more ambitious new material than at any point in years.
