U2 confront the realities of ageing in rock music and the pressure of rising contemporary acts, admitting they have to up their game when peers like Fontaines D.C. enter the room, nme.com reported.
The Irish stadium giants are preparing to release their 16th studio album, Carnaval de Luz, on Friday November 13, ahead of a major world tour scheduled for 2027. Speaking to nme.com at a London hotel on the afternoon of Guy Fawkes Night, Bono and The Edge discussed the record’s central theme of “defiant joy,” looking back at a 50-year career that has seen them continually deconstruct and rebuild their sound.
U2 Releases Carnaval De Luz After Ten Year Gap
- U2’s 16th album, Carnaval de Luz, arrives on Friday November 13, produced by Jacknife Lee with input from Brian Eno.
- The release follows an intimate BBC launch show at The Tate Modern, filmed against Brian Eno’s 360-degree artwork 77 Million Paintings.
The new project follows a nearly ten-year gap since 2017’s Songs Of Experience. Reflecting on their previous output, Bono told nme.com that he felt the group had “failed the mainstream” with their last two records because they struggled to find a cohesive sound despite strong thematics.
“We went in on those two albums and wrote really great songs, we just couldn’t find a cohesive sound to those two albums,” Bono told nme.com. “Maybe it’s just not for us anymore. That’s been taken away from us, that opportunity, and we just let it go.”
Instead of chasing radio hits, the band returned to experimentation with Brian Eno, who first encouraged them to deconstruct their arrangements during sessions for their 1984 classic The Unforgettable Fire. That collaborative spirit carried over into the sessions for Carnaval de Luz, alongside sister EPs Days Of Ash and Easter Lily.
The conversation also turned to modern music and the emergence of younger Irish artists stepping into major venues. Acknowledging Fontaines D.C. as they prepare to headline major stadium shows, Bono told nme.com, “You have to up your game when people step into the room like Fontaines D.C.”
The Edge added that he envies the sonic direction of other contemporary acts, telling nme.com, “Lambrini Girls. I’m just so jealous of them. Now that’s a sound I would love to hear on a U2 album. Just the sonics are fantastic.”
| Album / Project | Release Year | Key Collaborators / Producers |
|---|---|---|
| The Unforgettable Fire | 1984 | Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois |
| Achtung Baby | 1991 | Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Steve Lillywhite |
| Carnaval de Luz | 2026 | Jacknife Lee, Brian Eno |
“If I were to put anything on the bonfire, I would put the way music is treated at the moment financially for people who can’t play live like we can,” Bono told nme.com. “We can make a living. But the commodification of music, let’s throw that on the bonfire this very night!”
U2 release Carnaval De Luz on Friday November 13, ahead of a lengthy world tour in 2027.
