U2 have announced their new album, 'Carnaval De Luz' their first new record in nine years.
Arriving on 13 November 2026, Carnaval De Luz is the 16th studio record and a collection of 12 songs, exploring 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 checked out via this link here.
Carnaval De Luz also features collaborations with 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’.
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, which Carnaval De Luz preceding them in the timeline.
The single, 'Torn', is also included in Carnaval De Luz, 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. It was co written by Bono and Parton, alongside Johnny McDaid.
Speaking about the album in a press release, Bono said: “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".
Elsewhere, 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".
It will be accessible in 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.
