Fifty years after Larry Mullen Jr. pinned a note to the board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin asking for musicians to form a band, U2 are marking the anniversary with Carnaval de Luz, their 16th studio album and first album of new material in nine years. It arrives November 13, 2026 on Island Records.
Produced by Jacknife Lee, the 12-song set explores spirituality, friendship, freedom and endurance “in the face of dark, encroaching forces.” The band describe echoes of their most experimental work alongside tight songwriting on tracks like “The Greatest Show on Earth,” “Glorify” and “Midnight Sunshine,” plus “Silencio,” a 2:35 burst of surf-punk energy that is out now with a video shot in Mexico City.
The album grows directly out of U2’s two surprise EPs from earlier this year, Days of Ash (released on Ash Wednesday) and Easter Lily (released on Good Friday). Following the liturgical calendar, Carnaval de Luz is the celebration that comes before Lent. The closing track, “Torn,” ties the three releases together. It’s a tender country duet with the late Dolly Parton, sadly her last recorded vocal performance, co-written by U2, Parton and Johnny McDaid, with Daniel Lanois on pedal steel.
 Carnaval de Luz by U2 |
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| Released: November 13, 2026 Produced by: Jacknife Lee |
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| Track Listing | Primary Musicians |
| Go (Carnaval De Luz) La Reina Street Of Dreams The Mirror Maker (RosalÃa) 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 Torn (feat. Dolly Parton) |
Bono Lead Vocals The Edge Lead Guitars Adam Clayton Bass Larry Mullin Jr. Drums |
Longtime collaborator Brian Eno co-wrote and played synthesizers on three songs, Martin Garrix co-wrote “Glorify,” and Ryan Tedder added production on “Silencio.” The Edge calls it “a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs,” and notes it features the first-ever use of flat-wound strings on a U2 recording.
Bono puts it this way: “if the world is in darkness, we better not be.”
With Carnaval de Luz, U2 will have released 24 new songs in 2026 alone, a remarkable output for a band in its fifth decade. Modern Rock Review last covered U2 in 2014, and it’s great to welcome them back to these pages.
Formats: deluxe vinyl and CD box sets, limited colored vinyl, standard CD and vinyl, and digital.
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