U2 name the new album Carnaval De Luz, due 13 November, with Dolly Parton on the closer
It is the band's 16th studio album and their first full-length record of new songs in nine years. Rosalía features on "The Mirror Maker", Brian Eno co-writes three songs, and "Torn", a country duet, is the last vocal Dolly Parton recorded before her death in August.
U2 will release their 16th studio album on 13 November, and it is called Carnaval De Luz. It is their first full-length album of new songs in nine years (they had already put out two six-song EPs this year, Days of Ash and Easter Lily), and the official announcement on U2’s site carries the full 12-song list.
The last track is the one people will talk about. “Torn” is a country duet written by U2 with Dolly Parton and Johnny McDaid, and the band describes it as what “has sadly turned out to be” Dolly Parton’s last recorded vocal performance. She recorded the duet with Bono in June and died in August, aged 80; her representative confirmed to AP that it is her final recording. Daniel Lanois plays pedal steel.
Who else is on it
Jacknife Lee is the main producer. Brian Eno co-writes and plays synths on three tracks, Martin Garrix co-wrote “Glorify”, and Ryan Tedder added production on “Silencio”. Rosalía sings on “The Mirror Maker”, track four.
Two teasers are already out. “Street of Dreams” arrived in July as the album’s first single. “Silencio” followed on 24 September, with a video on the band’s official channel.
What the band says
The Edge calls the record a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs. Bono promises loud guitars, deep bass and ecstatic rhythms. The cover shows the band walking along a beach, a nod to Abbey Road, and the album lands in the year U2 turn 50.
No tour has been announced yet.
By Lucy Bennett
Image: Frank Weigel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
