U2’s first album in nine years ends with Dolly Parton’s last recorded vocal

U2 have put out their first album of new songs in nine years, and they saved the most affecting moment for the very end.

Carnaval De Luz arrived on Friday 13 November through Island Records: 12 songs, 16 studio albums into a career that began at a Dublin school in 1976. The closing track, “Torn”, is a duet with Dolly Parton. The band calls it her last recorded vocal performance. Parton, the country singer, songwriter and actor whose career ran across seven decades, died on 25 August at the age of 80.

For a band that has spent much of the past decade looking back, with anniversary tours, a reworked catalogue and a long residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, this is a deliberate step forward. The Edge has called it “a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs”.

What is on it?

The opener, “Go (Carnaval De Luz)”, is one of three tracks Brian Eno co-wrote and played synthesisers on, along with “The Greatest Show On Earth” and “Can’t Stop Us Now”. Eno co-produced The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby, so his name on a U2 record still means something to fans.

Jacknife Lee produced the album. Ryan Tedder added production on “Silencio”, the second single, whose video was shot in Mexico City. Dutch DJ Martin Garrix co-wrote “Glorify”. The first single, “Street Of Dreams”, came out in July.

The rest of the tracklist runs “La Reina”, “The Mirror Maker (Rosalía)”, “Superficiality”, “If The World Is At War We Better Not Be” and “Midnight Sunshine”. The titles lean towards Latin America and Spain, and so does the tour.

The album grows out of two surprise EPs released earlier in 2026, Days of Ash and Easter Lily, recorded in the same stretch of work. The band describes the whole set as songs about spirituality, friendship, freedom and endurance.

Why does the Dolly Parton duet matter?

Parton’s death in August drew tributes from across music, and any new recording of her voice was always going to carry weight. On “Torn”, the band paired her with Daniel Lanois on pedal steel. Lanois is another of U2’s long-time collaborators, and pedal steel is the sound most tied to her country roots.

It also fits how Parton spent her last years: crossing genres, from a full rock album in 2023 to duets with younger pop artists, and refusing to slow down.

When can Australians see it live?

Not yet. The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour starts in 2027. The band announced its first six shows, in Mexico City, São Paulo and Buenos Aires, on 15 October, and says those are its only Latin American cities for 2027. The European leg opens in Stockholm on 26 April and runs to Milan on 6 July, with stops including London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Seville and Barcelona.

North American dates are expected in the coming weeks, and the band has said the tour will finish in Ireland in 2028. No Australian or New Zealand shows have been announced. U2 last toured Australia in November 2019 with The Joshua Tree.

How can fans buy it?

The album is on the main streaming services now. Physical editions include a standard CD and vinyl, coloured vinyl variants and limited deluxe vinyl and CD boxsets. The three-disc CD boxset pairs the album with both 2026 EPs and a 20-page booklet.

Bono’s invitation on the band’s own site is pure showman: “Roll up, roll up, roll up!”