U2 Announce New Album, ‘Carnaval de Luz,’ Out Nov. 13 — SkimNews
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- U2 announced 'Carnaval de Luz' out Nov. 13, their first album of new songs in nine years, with bassist Adam Clayton calling it 'the culmination of the work that everyone has been doing for 50 years' — the band first played together in Larry Mullen Jr.'s kitchen on Sept. 25, 1976.
- Garret "Jacknife" Lee produced the 12-track album, continuing a run with U2 that stretches back to 2004's 'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,' and called the output 'up there with their best' and 'unprecedented.'
- Dolly Parton recorded her final vocal performance for closing track 'Torn,' co-written with the band and Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid — Parton died last month, giving the collaboration a posthumous weight.
- Brian Eno co-wrote and played synths on three tracks, including the Suicide-influenced opener 'Go (Carnaval de Luz)'; the Edge calls the song 'the wildest U2 recording in years' and 'a statement of intent.'
- U2 released two surprise EPs earlier this year — 'Days of Ash' and 'Easter Lily' — now revealed as conceptually linked to the album via the liturgical calendar (carnival precedes Lent and Easter), bringing the total to 24 new songs across three projects.
- Larry Mullen Jr. returned to the studio after a debilitating neck injury that had kept him from playing, telling Rolling Stone: 'I couldn't play. I didn't think I'd play again. So there was a renewed energy when we got into the studio.'
- Other credits include Martin Garrix on 'Glorify,' Ryan Tedder with additional production on the punk-leaning single 'Silencio,' and a collaboration with Rosalía on 'The Mirror Maker.'
Why it matters: U2's first album in nine years caps a prolific stretch of 24 new songs across three conceptually linked projects — the most output of their career — timed to their 50th anniversary and Larry Mullen Jr.'s comeback from a debilitating neck injury. The closing track also doubles as Dolly Parton's final recorded vocal, turning the album into a posthumous milestone for her as well.
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