U2’s 16th studio album is due November 13, 2026. The title encodes the band’s 50th anniversary and the record includes two recent singles, a surprise guest vocal from Dolly Parton, and a short, radio-friendly track that contains profanity.
The album is set for release November 13, 2026, follows two EPs released earlier in 2026, and includes Dolly Parton’s final recorded vocal on the song “Torn.”
U2 marked the 50th anniversary on September 25, 2026, with a performance at Mount Temple High School where the band formed.
Title, timing, and a hidden message
U2's new album title, Carnaval de Luz, translates as "Carnival of Light." The name also encodes the band's 50th anniversary: read Roman numerals into the Spanish — L equals 50, and the letters around it read U2. The timing is deliberate: the band traces its origin to a meeting on September 25, 1976, at Larry Mullen Jr.'s kitchen, and the group marked the 50th anniversary on September 25, 2026, by playing a set at Mount Temple High School for students and staff.
Where this album sits in U2's recent output
Carnaval de Luz is being billed as U2's first full collection of new material in nine years and is their 16th studio album. It follows two EPs released earlier in 2026: Days of Ash in February and Easy Lily in April. Public discussion around the record has also acknowledged concerns about Larry Mullen Jr.'s back during the band's long break between full-length releases.
The album is scheduled for release on November 13, 2026, via Island Records. Reporting identifies Jacknife Lee as producer. Coverage describes the collection as combining experimental elements with more direct song structures and treating themes that include spirituality, friendship, freedom, and endurance.
The closing track, "Torn," features Dolly Parton. Reports say this was her last-ever recording and that she recorded the vocal despite illness.
On the day that marked 50 years since the group's origin, U2 played for students and staff at Mount Temple High School, the Dublin school where the original lineup came together. The performance began just after 2 p.m. local time on September 25, 2026.
Carnaval de Luz will include the final vocal from Dolly Parton and new single Silencio
“It’s a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs,” The Edge said of the record, which features Dolly Parton’s final vocal performance on ‘Torn’ The post U2 announce long-awaited new album ‘Carnaval De Luz’ and share charismatic single ‘Silencio’ appeared first on NME .
U2 publicará 'Carnaval de Luz' el 13 de noviembre. El disco incluye el single 'Silencio' y un dueto con Dolly Parton, su última grabación. The post U2 anuncia ‘Carnaval de Luz’, su primer disco de canciones nuevas en nueve años first appeared on Popelera .
U2 have announced their 16th studio album, Carnaval De Luz, set for release on November 13, 2026, via Island Records. The album is the band’s first full collection of new material in nine years and [...]
Irish rockers set to release their first new album in nine years
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