U2 Announces New Album Featuring Dolly Parton's Final Vocal — SkimNews
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- U2 announced "Carnaval De Luz," their first full-length album in nine years, set for Nov. 12 release via Interscope Records and containing 12 songs
- Dolly Parton recorded a duet called "Torn" for the album in June, described in the Interscope release as what "has sadly turned out to be her last recorded vocal performance"
- Bono told Rolling Stone that Parton "got out of her bed to sing this song" despite being ill, adding "I cannot believe that's an 80-year-old woman"
- "Torn" was co-written by U2, Parton, and Johnny McDaid, and features pedal steel guitar from Daniel Lanois; Bono said Parton pitched the song after rejecting his Irish folk demos as "a little too Irish for me"
- "Carnaval De Luz" was produced by Jacknife Lee and features collaborators including Brian Eno (co-writing/synths on three tracks), Martin Garrix ("Glorify"), Rosalía ("The Mirror Maker"), and Ryan Tedder (additional production on "Silencio")
- "Silencio" is the preview single, clocking in at 2 minutes 35 seconds and described as an "homage to early surf-punk insolence," with a music video shot in Mexico City by directing duo Cliqua
- U2 will have released 24 songs across 2025 by the album's drop date, including the two surprise EPs "Days of Ash" (Ash Wednesday) and "Easter Lily" (Easter), timed to the band's 50th anniversary
Why it matters: After a nine-year gap between LPs, U2 returns with a 12-track set timed to their 50th anniversary and a closing duet that the label and Bono frame as Dolly Parton's final recorded vocal — giving the release dual historical weight: a band's milestone comeback and the apparent end of a country legend's recording output. The project also marks U2's most producer-collaborator-heavy record to date, pairing Jacknife Lee with Brian Eno, Rosalía, and Martin Garrix.
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