U2 have released Carnaval de Luz, their first album of new music in nearly nine years, through Island Records on Nov. 13. The 12-track record closes with “Torn,” a duet with the late Dolly Parton that became her final recording.
What We Know
The Irish band chose its 50th anniversary year to come back with a full studio album. Bono and his bandmates describe Carnaval de Luz as a record of “defiant joy,” and in a CBS Sunday Morning interview aired on Nov. 15, Bono said: “We think we are at our best.” Asked how the songs came together, he called the process “very functionally dysfunctional.”
The album was produced by longtime collaborator Jacknife Lee, with contributions from Brian Eno, Ryan Tedder and Martin Garrix. Eno co-wrote and played synthesizers on several tracks, including the opener “Go (Carnaval de Luz),” while Tedder worked on the single “Silencio” and Garrix co-wrote “Glorify.” Larry Mullen Jr. is back on drums after missing the band’s 2024 residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas because of a neck injury.
The tracklist runs: “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” and “Torn (feat. Dolly Parton).” Fans of Rosalía, who just won her third Latin Grammy for Album of the Year, will notice her name in the title of track four.
Dolly Parton’s Last Song
“Torn” is the emotional center of the release. The Irish News describes it as a tender country song about broken family ties, with Daniel Lanois on pedal steel. Speaking to CBS, Bono admitted he approached singing with Parton “with great trepidation.” He recalled that she told him he could take the song wherever he wanted, and that she might like where he took it. Bono said he only discovered how the finished track sounded when it came back to him.
RTÉ’s reviewer called it a “moving and faltering duet,” noting it echoes the band’s past habit of closing an album with a legendary guest: Johnny Cash sang “The Wanderer” at the end of Zooropa in 1993. Parton’s name was also in the news recently for another reason, as her manager dropped a lawsuit against her nephew.
Background
U2 announced the album in late September, promising “loud guitars, deep bass, some ecstatic rhythms and, yes, some silver tears,” in Bono’s words. The Edge called it “a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs.” Earlier in 2026, the band surprised fans with two EPs, Days of Ash and Easter Lily.
In September, the four members went back to Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, where the group formed in 1976 after Mullen pinned a note on a board looking for musicians. The band has also been vocal lately outside its own music, notably when it backed Macklemore in a tour row involving Ed Sheeran.
Reactions
Critics have been split. RTÉ’s review is headlined “Bono gets his mojo back,” and Ultimate Classic Rock framed the record as a “spiritual reset.” Paste Magazine was cooler, arguing the album “sounds nothing like a celebration.”
What’s Next
The promotion is already rolling. On Saturday night, U2 made a surprise appearance at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles, opening the show with “Silencio” and “Pride (In the Name of Love).” The band also plans to tour in 2027 with a brand-new live show; dates have not been announced yet. Bono’s stated goal is to give audiences “a shot at the best night of anybody’s life.”
Sources
- CBS News – U2 on 50 years and their duet with Dolly Parton
- RTÉ – Carnaval de Luz review
- The Irish News – U2’s first album in nine years
- Consequence – U2 surprise performance at the Rock Hall
- Paste Magazine – Carnaval de Luz review
- Ultimate Classic Rock – Carnaval de Luz review