U2’s Carnaval de Luz began as an exploratory project, not a planned U2 album. The Edge says the band members initially pursued separate interests and expected the sessions with Bono and Brian Eno might lead to another Passengers-style release.
The band needed a break, he explained, and its members were pursuing their own interests without considering what would become the group’s 16th LP.
When The Edge and Bono began collaborating again with Brian Eno, they imagined the work might result in another offshoot release in the style of 1995’s Original Soundtracks 1, issued under the name Passengers.
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Larry Mullen’s return from a health-related hiatus helped prompt the band to bring its material together. The Edge told Uncut that the band had developed enough material to have plenty to choose from.
Many of the songs were sketches that The Edge had been working on since the lockdown, while Bono had also been developing material. The band therefore had a stockpile of ideas to explore.
The Edge said U2 went into the studio with Brian Eno to explore the material, initially thinking it might become another Passengers project. The sessions began with just Bono and The Edge, but some experiments proved compelling enough to bring to the band and develop into U2 songs.
The band members were playing well, and the ideas inspired them, The Edge said. They followed what felt and sounded good rather than planning too far ahead.
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The Edge said he did not think Songs of Surrender, released in 2023, would be U2’s final album. The band wanted time for Larry Mullen to recover and for the members to reflect on where they stood, while remaining confident they would make another record.
Carnaval de Luz grew out of those uncertain sessions. The new LP arrives today, with the final recorded vocal by the late Dolly Parton among its highlights.
The Edge said U2 generally enjoy making albums, although the process can also be difficult. The band works to make each record as good as possible, and that exacting approach can sometimes be frustrating.
According to The Edge, album-making involves failed ideas and experiments that do not go as expected. He described those setbacks as a normal part of the creative process.
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Gallery Credit: UCR Staff
