Carnaval De Luz, Standard Black Vinyl

Carnaval De Luz, released on November 13 2026,  is the 16th studio album from U2 and the first album of new material from the band in nine years.

The news of the album release came in the week that marked 50 years since Larry Mullen Jr. pinned a handwritten note to the noticeboard of Mount Temple Comprehensive School on the Northside of Dublin in September 1976, 'Drummer Seeks Musicians To Form Band'.

Recorded all over the place and produced by Jacknife Lee, Carnaval De Luz is a collection of 12 songs exploring themes of spirituality, friendship, freedom and endurance in the face of dark, encroaching forces. Sonically, there are echoes of the band's most experimental work combined with some strict songwriting in the shape of 'The Greatest Show On Earth', 'Glorify' and 'Midnight Sunshine', as well as the 2mins 35second homage to early surf-punk insolence that is 'Silencio'. 

The roots of Carnaval De Luz can be traced directly to U2's two surprise-released and critically acclaimed six-track EPs of early 2026, recorded during the same creative period as the new album. Those releases, Days of Ash and Easter Lily, followed the liturgical calendar, and so Carnaval De Luz sits, stands and dances before them in timeline. 

Carnival, a celebration of the flesh, 'carne', before the denial that is Lent, a period of reflection, and the rebirth of Easter. The song connecting the album and two EPs is the final track on the new album, 'Torn', a duet between Bono and the late, great Dolly Parton, in what sadly turned out to be her last recorded vocal performance. Co-written by U2, Parton and Johnny McDaid, it's a tender country song detailing broken family ties that holds wider resonances.

The album also sees collaborations from Brian Eno (co-writing and synthesizers on 'Go (Carnaval De Luz)', 'The Greatest Show on Earth' and 'Can't Stop Us Now'), Martin Garrix (co-writing on 'Glorify'), and Daniel Lanois (playing pedal steel on 'Torn'); with additional production from Ryan Tedder on 'Silencio'. 

When news of the album was released, The Edge said - "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."

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." 

Carnaval De Luz, Standard Black Vinyl

• The New 12-track studio album pressed on 1 x 12” 180g Heavyweight Black Vinyl
• Gatefold outer-sleeve with Full-Colour Artwork and Gloss Finish
• 16-Page booklet featuring Lyrics, Photography and Exclusive album imagery
• Printed Inner Sleeve
• Full-colour printed vinyl labels