U2 are set to return with Carnaval De Luz, their 16th studio album and first album of new material in nine years, arriving on 13 November 2026.
Announced by Interscope Records during the band’s 50th anniversary year, the 12-track record introduces a new chapter for Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., with a brand-new track, “Silencio”, available now alongside an accompanying music video.
The album will be available across a range of physical and digital formats, including limited-edition deluxe vinyl and CD boxsets, limited-edition coloured and bespoke vinyl variants, standard CD, standard vinyl and digital download.
U2 Celebrate 50 Years With New Album Carnaval De Luz
The announcement arrives during a significant year for U2, marking 50 years since Larry Mullen Jr. famously pinned a handwritten notice to the noticeboard of Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin in September 1976.
The note, which read “Drummer Seeks Musicians To Form Band”, helped set the foundations for the group that would become U2.
Five decades later, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. are continuing to explore new creative territory with Carnaval De Luz.
Produced by Jacknife Lee, the new album brings together 12 songs exploring themes including spirituality, friendship, freedom and endurance in the face of dark, encroaching forces.
The record also draws on different sides of U2’s musical identity, with echoes of the band’s more experimental work alongside tightly constructed songwriting.
“Silencio” Gives Fans A First Taste Of The New U2 Album
Alongside the album announcement, U2 have released “Silencio”, a brand new track described as a homage to early surf-punk insolence.
The accompanying music video was filmed in Mexico City earlier this year and is directed by Cliqua, the Mexican-American directing duo Pasqual Gutiérrez and Raúl “RJ” Sanchez.
The new single follows “Street of Dreams”, the first song to be taken from Carnaval De Luz, which was released in July.
The new album’s track listing also includes “The Greatest Show On Earth”, “Glorify”, “Midnight Sunshine”, “La Reina” and “The Mirror Maker”, featuring Rosalía.
Carnaval De Luz Connects U2’s 2026 Releases
The new album has its roots in U2’s two surprise-released six-track EPs from earlier in 2026, Days of Ash and Easter Lily. Those releases were recorded during the same creative period as Carnaval De Luz and followed the liturgical calendar.
The album sits within that sequence as a celebration of carnival, positioned before Lent and the rebirth associated with Easter.
The connection between the album and the two EPs comes through “Torn”, the record’s final track. The song is a duet between Bono and the late Dolly Parton, described as her last recorded vocal performance.
Co-written by U2, Parton and Johnny McDaid, “Torn” is a tender country song about broken family ties, while Daniel Lanois contributes pedal steel to the recording.
U2 Collaborate With Brian Eno, Martin Garrix And More
Carnaval De Luz also features a series of notable creative collaborations.
Brian Eno contributes co-writing and synthesizers to “Go (Carnaval De Luz)”, “The Greatest Show on Earth” and “Can’t Stop Us Now”.
Martin Garrix is credited as a co-writer on “Glorify”, while Daniel Lanois performs pedal steel on “Torn”.
Additional production on “Silencio” comes from Ryan Tedder.
Bono has teased the spirit of the album with a characteristically colourful description, promising “loud guitars, deep bass, some ecstatic rhythms” and “silver tears”.
Carnaval De Luz Track Listing
The 12-track U2 album will feature:
- “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”
- “Torn” (Feat. Dolly Parton)
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