U2 have announced Carnaval De Luz, their 16th album to date and first new album in nine years, out on November 13th via Interscope Records. They’ve also shared a new song called “Silencio.”
Carnaval De Luz represents U2’s return to original full-length songwriting for the first time since 2017’s Songs of Experience. While the band hasn’t released a traditional album in the years since, they revisited their catalog with 2023’s Songs of Surrender and unveiled new material with last year’s surprise EPs Days of Ash and Easter Lily.
The new album emerged from the same creative sessions that produced those EPs, with U2 recording around the world alongside producer Jacknife Lee and drawing inspiration from the traditions of Carnival and pre-Lenten celebrations. Today’s announcement also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation.
Aside from Lee, the album boasts some other significant collaborations, including Dolly Parton’s last-ever vocal performance on the closing duet “Torn.” Other contributors include Martin Garrix, Ryan Tedder, Daniel Lanois, and longtime collaborator Brian Eno.
“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,” Bono said in a statement. “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.”
The Edge also offered a statement, albeit more brief than Bono’s: “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.”
As for “Silencio,” which features additional production from Tedder, it feels like a U2 throwback. There’s distorted guitar, rockin’ attitude, and an anthemic, yelped chorus from Bono. It’s got a little bite — Bono sounds noticeably agitated in the second verse as he sings, “There’s a quiet saying ‘Shut your fucking mouth’/ There’s a diet saying ‘Spit it fucking out'” — but overall, “Silencio” suggests a scrappier, back-to-basics presentation of U2’s usual alt-rock flair. The song arrives with a music video directed by Cliqua; it was shot in Mexico City earlier this year. Watch it below.
“Silencio” is the latest preview of Carnaval De Luz following last summer’s “Street of Dreams”; the band also recently linked with Martin Garrix on the single “Fireflies” and covered The Pogues’ “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” for an upcoming Shane MacGowan tribute album.
In other U2 news, the Irish quartet were recently named as the 2027 MusiCares Persons of the Year. They’ll be honored with a star-studded ceremony and concert on February 5th, 2027, where a handful of musicians will commemorate the band with covers of U2 songs.
Carnaval De Luz Artwork:
Carnaval De Luz Tracklist:
01. Go (Carnaval De Luz)
02. La Reina
03. Street Of Dreams
04. The Mirror Maker (Rosalía)
05. Superficiality
06. If The World Is At War We Better Not Be
07. Silencio
08. The Greatest Show On Earth
09. Glorify
10. Midnight Sunshine
11. Can’t Stop Us Now
12. Torn (Feat. Dolly Parton)
