U2 Announce Carnaval De Luz Featuring Dolly Parton’s Final Recorded Vocal

U2 Carnaval De Luz has been officially announced, with the Irish band preparing to release their first full studio album of new material in nine years.

Carnaval De Luz arrives on 13 November 2026, produced by longtime collaborator Jacknife Lee. The announcement also brings new track “Silencio”, which is available now.

The album arrives during an important anniversary year for the band, marking 50 years since drummer Larry Mullen Jr. placed the school notice that ultimately brought U2 together.

U2 return with new material

The record follows Songs of Experience, released in 2017, and becomes U2’s 16th studio album.

The band have released other projects since then, including the re-recorded catalogue collection Songs of Surrender and two six-track EPs earlier in 2026, Days of Ash and Easter Lily.

U2 say those two EPs and Carnaval De Luz emerged from the same creative period.

The titles loosely follow the Christian calendar, with Carnival preceding Lent and Easter, although Carnaval De Luz is being released after the two EPs.

The band describe the record as exploring spirituality, friendship, freedom and endurance, while musically combining elements of U2’s more experimental work with tightly constructed songwriting.

“Silencio” begins the next phase

New song “Silencio” accompanies the album announcement.

Produced by Jacknife Lee with additional production from Ryan Tedder, it follows “Street of Dreams”, which had already provided an early glimpse at the forthcoming record.

U2 describe “Silencio” as a brief burst of surf-punk energy, running for just over two and a half minutes.

The accompanying video was filmed in Mexico City.

Dolly Parton appears on “Torn”

The most poignant collaboration appears at the end of the album.

“Torn” is a duet between Bono and Dolly Parton, co-written by U2, Parton and Northern Irish songwriter Johnny McDaid.

U2’s official announcement says the recording became Parton’s final recorded vocal performance. The band describes the track as a country song dealing with broken family relationships, with Daniel Lanois contributing pedal steel guitar.

The Guardian and RTÉ have independently reported the same detail surrounding Parton’s contribution to the project.

Her appearance gives the closing track particular significance and adds an unexpected country collaboration to a record that already moves across several different musical directions.

Brian Eno and Martin Garrix also contribute

Parton is not the album’s only notable collaborator.

Brian Eno contributes co-writing and synthesisers to several songs, including “Go (Carnaval De Luz)”, “The Greatest Show on Earth” and “Can’t Stop Us Now”.

Martin Garrix has a co-writing credit on “Glorify”, while Ryan Tedder contributes additional production to “Silencio”.

It creates a mixture of familiar U2 collaborators and musicians from very different parts of contemporary music.

Jacknife Lee remains at the centre of the project as producer.

Fifty years since U2 began

The timing of U2 Carnaval De Luz is deliberate.

September 2026 marks 50 years since a teenage Larry Mullen Jr. placed a handwritten message on the noticeboard at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin looking for musicians.

Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Mullen eventually became the line-up that would take U2 from Dublin school rehearsals to one of the biggest rock bands in the world.

Their catalogue has since included albums such as War, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can’t Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

Half a century later, the four musicians are still releasing new work together.

Rather than marking the anniversary exclusively by looking backwards, the band are using it to introduce another collection of original songs.

U2’s Carnaval De Luz will be released on 13 November 2026, while “Silencio” is available now.