U2 have released Carnaval De Luz, their 16th studio album and first collection of newly written songs in nine years. The 12-track record arrived November 13 through Island Records, during the year marking the band’s 50th anniversary.
The distinction is an important one. U2 have released music during that nine-year interval, including 2023’s Songs of Surrender, which featured 40 re-recorded and reimagined songs from their catalog. Carnaval De Luz marks their first full-length collection of original material since 2017’s Songs of Experience.
U2’s latest features a duet with the late Dolly Parton
The release also features “Torn,” a duet between Bono and Dolly Parton. Written by U2, Parton and Johnny McDaid, the song closes the album. Parton recorded her vocals in Nashville in June 2026, making it her final recorded vocal performance before her death on August 25. A country version of the song, produced by Jacknife Lee and featuring pedal steel from Daniel Lanois, was introduced to country radio ahead of the album’s release.
Jacknife Lee produced Carnaval De Luz, which follows the band’s two six-song EPs from earlier this year, Days of Ash and Easter Lily. Both projects emerged from the same creative period as the new album.
The record includes “Street of Dreams,” “Silencio” and “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Brian Eno contributed songwriting and synthesizers to several tracks, while electronic music producer Martin Garrix holds a co-writing credit on “Glorify.” Ryan Tedder also contributed additional production to “Silencio.”
The album arrives five decades after drummer Larry Mullen Jr. posted a notice seeking musicians at Dublin’s Mount Temple Comprehensive School in September 1976, an invitation that led to U2’s formation.
To accompany the release, the band has issued a special edition of Propaganda, its long-running fan magazine. The 128-page Carnaval De Luz edition includes lyrics, interviews with collaborators and reflections on the band’s five decades together.
U2 have also announced a 2027 stadium tour titled The Greatest Show on Earth. The itinerary begins in Mexico City on February 23, with European performances scheduled from April.
Carnaval De Luz is available digitally and on CD and vinyl, including deluxe packages and limited-edition pressings.
More information is available through U2’s official website.
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