U2 have announced their new album, 'Carnaval De Luz' via Island Records.
The album, which will be released on 13 November 2026, is the 16th studio record from the band, and their first in nine years. It consists of a collection of 12 songs, which explore themes such as friendship, spirituality, freedom, as well as enduring darkness and encroaching forces.
News of the album's upcoming release was accompanied by the single, 'Silencio', which can be check out via this link here.
The album was recorded during the same creative period as U2's six track EPs, Days of Ash and Easter Lily, following the liturgical calendar, with Carnaval De Luz precedes them in the timeline.
Included in Carnaval De Luz is the single, 'Torn', a duet between U2 lead singer Bono, and the late Country music, Dolly Parton, her last vocal performance before her death in August aged 80. The song was co written by the pair, alongside Johnny McDaid.
In a press release, Bono said of the album: “Roll up, roll up, roll up! Bring your purple socks, your broken hearts, your rose-tinted naivety… oh be amazed in the hall of mirrors. There will be loud guitars, deep bass, some ecstatic rhythms and, yes, some silver tears will make an appearance!".
"Cause in the near distance just outside our carnival of light there are all kinds of creatures… the same imagination that brings us our creativity can also bring us monsters. So we make the drums louder. We build a bigger fire. We make our stories wilder and funnier. We make the melodies sweeter and the songs, they better shine, because if the world is in darkness we better not be".
His bandmate and guitarist, The Edge added: “It’s a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs — and features the first-ever use of flat-wound strings on a U2 recording. Just saying".
Carnaval De Luz also features contributions from Brian Eno who co-writes and provides synthesizers on ‘Go Carnaval De Luz’, ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ and ‘Can’t Stop Us Now’, Martin Garrix co-writes on ‘Glorify’, and Daniel Lanois plays pedal steel on ‘Torn’; with additional production from Ryan Tedder on ‘Silencio’.
It is also available via a number of formats including, Limited Edition Deluxe Vinyl & CD Boxsets, Standard CD, Standard Vinyl, Various Limited Edition Coloured & Bespoke Vinyl variants, Digital Download. You can also pre-order and pre-save via this link here.
See the track list for Carnaval De Luz below.
