Released: 2026

Genres: Pop Rock

The Musiquarium’s Carnaval de Luz Album Score: 3.5/5

Following the release of two different EPs earlier in the year (Days of Ash and Easter Lily) comes the arrival of U2’s 16th studio album, Carnaval de Luz (Spanish/Portuguese for Carnival of Light). Working again with producer Jacknife Lee, Carnaval de Luz is the Irish band’s most inspired album in a very long time.

Go (Carnaval de Luz) (which was written with frequent collaborator Brian Eno) begins the album with a nearly minute-long synthesizer intro, recalling the experimental days of Achtung Baby and Zooropa — it’s one of U2’s best and most interesting songs this century, even if it feels more like an intro than a fully fleshed-out song. La Reina carries the momentum forward with one of the band’s better modern rockers. Lead single Street of Dreams sounds more like 2010’s U2, and while it’s not the worst thing they’ve ever done, it’s still fairly cheesy. Despite it’s title, The Mirror Maker (Rosalía) does not feature the Spanish singer-songwriter, but does have a decent Adam Clayton bassline.

The album starts to take a dip in quality with Superficiality, with particularly grating Bono vocal. This downward trajectory continues with If the World Is at War We Better Not Be, which is as clumsy as its title — it’s a sparse ballad with modulated vocals and a minimalistic approach. Silencio gets things going again with a dumb, Vertigo-style rocker, where Bono sings “It’s when I’m with you, I miss you the most”. The Greatest Show on Earth is perhaps the album’s best track, another Brian Eno co-write, which has similar atmospheric production and emotion to the music from an album like The Unforgettable Fire (Eno’s first album he produced with U2, alongside Daniel Lanois).

Glorify features various credits from several different musicians (compared to most of the album), though it doesn’t feel too jarring or out of place. The bright and bubbly Midnight Sunshine is maybe a little too saccharine, standing out like a sore thumb on the album, but those electric pianos do stand out. The propulsive Can’t Stop Us Now is the third and final track co-written with Brian Eno. Torn features the late Dolly Parton and is the last song she ever recorded, and while the gesture is sweet and sentimental, it feels out of place and a bit like U2 is trying to shoehorn in the recent love for Dolly on their new album — still, Dolly Parton sounds wonderful here.

Carnaval de Luz likely won’t win over U2 detractors or fans that have long-given up on the band, but for the band’s 16th album in nearly half a century, the band sounds surprisingly reinvigorated and full of life here.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view U2 on Discogs.

Back to the 2026 Album Guide or the U2 Album page

Written by Brett Nippard