U2 release Carnaval De Luz; closing duet 'Torn' features Dolly Parton's final recorded vocal

U2 have released Carnaval De Luz, the band’s first album of new material in nine years, with a closing duet featuring Dolly Parton giving the project an additional news hook beyond the group’s long-awaited return. On Dolly Parton’s official website, the song “Torn” is described as her final recorded vocal performance before her death in August.

The album arrived Nov. 13 through Island Records/Universal and is billed by the band as U2’s 16th studio album. Its release lands in U2’s 50th year; the group formed in Dublin in 1976. Early critical reaction from major outlets including The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Mojo and The Irish Times has been broadly positive, and Metacritic’s weighted average stood at about 76 out of 100 as of Nov. 13-14.

Produced by Jacknife Lee, Carnaval De Luz is the follow-up to 2017’s Songs of Experience. Ryan Tedder has an additional production credit on “Silencio.” The standard edition runs 12 tracks, with songs highlighted during the campaign including “Street Of Dreams,” “Silencio,” “The Greatest Show On Earth” and the Parton collaboration, “Torn.”

U2 began rolling out the album months in advance. “Street Of Dreams” was released in July, followed by “Silencio” on Sept. 24. “The Greatest Show On Earth” and “Torn” were also issued as singles. Earlier in the year, the band released two six-track EPs, Days of Ash on Feb. 18 and Easter Lily on April 3, both of which fed into the album campaign and are included on deluxe editions.

The album also includes a roster of high-profile collaborators: Brian Eno, Rosalía, Martin Garrix, Daniel Lanois and Johnny McDaid. In the band’s release announcement, guitarist the Edge called the record “a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs.”

The Parton appearance is likely to draw attention well beyond U2’s core rock audience. According to DollyParton.com, Parton recorded “Torn” in Nashville in June 2026. The site says the session made it “her final recorded vocal performance prior to her passing on August 25, 2026.” That makes the track not just a guest feature on a major rock release, but a late addition to Parton’s recorded legacy, as described by her official site.

For U2, the album marks a significant return simply because of the gap between releases and the scale of the band’s profile. Band and label materials cite well over 100 million records sold, 22 Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. A new studio album after nearly a decade is a notable release for one of rock’s biggest legacy acts, even before the Parton collaboration is considered.

The project is also being positioned as the start of U2’s next touring cycle. The band has announced a world tour under the title “Carnaval De Luz presents: The Greatest Show On Earth,” beginning Feb. 23, 2027, in Mexico City. The UK and Europe leg is scheduled to open April 26, 2027, in Stockholm.

With Carnaval De Luz, U2 have tied a milestone anniversary to a new studio release, early favorable reviews and a closing track that, according to Parton’s official site, carries added weight as the final recorded vocal from one of American music’s most recognizable voices.