U2 announces new album ‘Carnaval De Luz,’ which will feature tracks with Rosalía and Dolly Parton
Por Miriam Gonzalez ·
U2 will release “Carnaval De Luz” on November 13, the Irish band’s 16th studio album and its first featuring new material in nine years, which will include a collaboration with Spanish artist Rosalía and the late Dolly Parton, Island Records announced Thursday.
The release of this new album coincides with a special anniversary: this Friday marks 50 years since their drummer, Larry Mullen Jr., posted a note on the bulletin board at his school in Dublin seeking musicians to form a band—the seed of the group that would later become one of the world’s most famous rock bands.
Five decades later, with 170 million albums sold and 22 Grammy Awards under their belt, U2 returns with a 12-song album produced by Jacknife Lee and conceived during a particularly prolific period for the band, which will have released a total of 24 new songs throughout 2026.
According to the record label, the album explores themes such as spirituality, friendship, freedom, and resistance against dark forces.
Musically, the album draws on elements from U2’s more experimental side and combines them with more straightforward compositions, such as “The Greatest Show On Earth,” “Glorify,” and “Midnight Sunshine.”
“Carnaval De Luz” also includes “Silencio,” a two-minute-and-35-second song described by the band as a tribute to the rebellious spirit of their early surf-punk days, Island Records explained in a statement posted on U2’s website.
The new album is linked to the two EPs that U2 released as a surprise in early 2026, “Days of Ash” and “Easter Lily,” both of which contain six songs and were recorded during the same creative period.
The record label noted that the two previous albums followed the liturgical calendar, while the new album is set, in the band’s words, “before” them on that timeline.
U2 and a country ballad with Dolly Parton
The connection between the three releases is evident in the duet “Torn,” the final track on the new album. It is a collaboration between Bono and Dolly Parton and is considered “the last vocal recording” by the American artist, who passed away last August.
The song, co-written by U2, Parton, and Johnny McDaid, takes the form of a country ballad about broken family ties.
Among other collaborations on the album, one that stands out is that of Catalan singer Rosalía, who will collaborate with U2 on their song “The Mirror Maker” (“El fabricante de espejos”), as well as Brian Eno, who serves as co-writer and keyboardist on “Go (Carnaval De Luz),” “The Greatest Show on Earth,” and “Can’t Stop Us Now.”
In addition, Martin Garrix contributed to the composition of “Glorify”; Daniel Lanois plays pedal steel guitar on “Torn”; and Ryan Tedder provided additional production on “Silencio.”
According to a press release from Island Records, The Edge has described the album as “a chaotic, provocative, and sacred collection of songs” and noted as a point of interest that this is the first time U2 has used flat guitar strings on one of their recordings.
Bono, for his part, has promoted the album with a statement rich in circus imagery in which he champions music as a creative response to a world marked by darkness and uncertainty.
“Come on in, come on in, come on in! Bring your purple socks, your broken hearts, your rose-tinted innocence, and let yourselves be amazed in the hall of mirrors. There will be powerful guitars, deep bass lines, hypnotic rhythms, and, yes, a few silver tears will appear as well,” the singer wrote in the note.
The first single from the album, “Street of Dreams,” was released in July, while “Silencio” is now available to listen to as a preview of the highly anticipated album.
“Carnaval De Luz” will be released in formats that include limited-edition deluxe vinyl and CD editions, various colored vinyl versions, standard CDs and vinyl, as well as digital downloads, according to Agencia EFE.