At long last, U2 lead singer Bono has revealed the title of the band's upcoming album: Carnaval de Luz, which is due sometime in the fourth quarter of the year.
Speaking to the Irish Times' podcast, Drummer Seeks Musicians: The Making of U2, in honor of the band's 50th anniversary (on Wednesday, Sep. 25), Bono was eager to share the title of the album.
“So am I allowed to say the name of the album or not?” he asks his bandmates The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr., before conceding, “I can't say it. I'm going to say it,” with a “Beckettian flourish.”
The new album is called Carnaval de Luz, which translates to “Carnival of Light.” It is U2's first album of original material since Songs of Experience, which was released in December 2017. So far, one single, “Street of Dreams,” has been released. A second, “Silencio,” will come out on Thursday, Sep. 24.
U2's new album Carnaval de Luz is a “prequel” to their recent EPs
In the same interview, Bono teased the album, hyping it up as a “prequel” to the band's EPs released earlier this year, Days of Ash and Easter Lily. He also seems confident that the band has found “it” when making this album.
“The song, that recording and this album we've made, we've caught it again,” he confidently said. “And it's strong stuff. As people who've heard Days of Ash and Easter Lily will hear, this is really the prequel, to both of them.”
U2 fans have been eating well in 2026. Since Songs of Experience's release, the band has released some singles, like “Ahimsa,” “Your Song Saved My Life” for the Sing 2 soundtrack, and “Atomic City” for their Sphere residency.
The band's last album, Songs of Surrender, was released in March 2023. It was a collection of 40 re-recorded songs from their back catalog.
Now, they are back and have already given fans an album's worth of music on two EPs earlier this year. Carnaval de Luz will cap off what's already been an epic year for the band.