Zaheer Darbar – Entertainment Editor
U2 Announces New Album Carnaval De Luz Featuring Dolly Parton, Arriving November 13: Irish rock band U2 will release its 16th studio album, Carnaval De Luz, on November 13, marking the group’s first album of new material in nine years. The 12-track record features country music legend Dolly Parton on “Torn,” which U2 says has become her final recorded vocal performance.
U2 has announced the release of Carnaval De Luz, a new collection of 12 songs produced by Jacknife Lee. The album will arrive during a milestone year for the Dublin-formed band, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026.
The announcement comes five decades after drummer Larry Mullen Jr. famously posted a handwritten notice at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin in September 1976 seeking musicians to form a band. That meeting ultimately led to the formation of U2, with Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Mullen Jr. continuing as the band’s core lineup.
Dolly Parton Joins U2 on “Torn”
The album’s closing song, “Torn,” is a duet between Bono and Dolly Parton. The track was co-written by U2, Parton and songwriter Johnny McDaid and is described as a tender country song dealing with broken family relationships and their wider emotional consequences. Daniel Lanois contributes pedal steel guitar to the recording.
U2 notes that the recording has sadly turned out to be Dolly Parton’s last recorded vocal performance. Her appearance adds a country dimension to an album that otherwise draws on U2’s expansive rock and experimental musical vocabulary.
“Silencio” Released as Second Album Track
Alongside the album announcement, U2 released “Silencio,” the second song from Carnaval De Luz. The track runs for two minutes and 35 seconds and is described by the band as a tribute to the irreverent spirit of early surf-punk.
The music video for “Silencio” was filmed in Mexico City and directed by Mexican-American filmmaking duo Cliqua, consisting of Pasqual Gutiérrez and Raúl “RJ” Sanchez. Ryan Tedder also provided additional production on the track.
“Silencio” follows “Street Of Dreams,” the first song released from the forthcoming album in July.
Album Explores Spirituality, Friendship and Freedom
According to U2, Carnaval De Luz explores themes of spirituality, friendship, freedom and endurance in the face of dark and encroaching forces. The band’s official announcement says the record combines echoes of its most experimental work with tightly structured songwriting.
Among the songs highlighted by the band are “The Greatest Show On Earth,” “Glorify” and “Midnight Sunshine,” alongside the more experimental “Silencio.” The Edge described the album as a “messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs” and noted that it marks the first use of flat-wound strings on a U2 recording.
Bono also described the album through imagery of a carnival surrounded by darkness, emphasizing loud guitars, deep bass, rhythms, melodies and storytelling. His comments connect the album’s celebratory imagery with the darker forces that can surround creativity and contemporary life.
Connected to Two 2026 EPs
Carnaval De Luz emerged from the same creative period as U2’s two surprise-released six-track EPs, ** Days of Ash and Easter Lily**, both released earlier in 2026. The band says the three projects are connected conceptually.
The two EPs followed the liturgical calendar, while Carnaval De Luz occupies the point in the sequence associated with carnival, positioned before Lent and Easter. The song “Torn” serves as the musical connection between the album and the two EP projects.
Major Collaborations
The new album also features several 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.” Ryan Tedder provides additional production on “Silencio.”
The album is part of an exceptionally active 50th-anniversary year for U2. According to the band, the group will have released 24 new songs during 2026.
Carnaval De Luz Track Listing
The 12-track album is scheduled to 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)
Multiple Formats Planned
Carnaval De Luz will be available in a range of formats, including limited-edition deluxe vinyl and CD box sets, limited-edition coloured and bespoke vinyl variants, standard CD, standard vinyl and digital download.
With the album arriving on November 13, 2026, Carnaval De Luz will give U2’s 50th-anniversary celebrations a major new musical chapter. The record brings together the band’s long-established creative partnership with collaborators including Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, while adding new names and the distinctive presence of Dolly Parton on its emotionally significant closing track, “Torn.”
