U2 are back in a big way, surprising fans with a new single released in the year of their 50th anniversary: today, Thursday 24 September 2026, at 6 pm, Silencio was released, the new song (of which you can watch the complete video clip at the bottom of this article) by the Irish band, which had already been anticipated through a series of teasers released on the group's official channels. The premises were already very tempting, and in the end the ears, hearts and souls of those most fond of Bono and his associates were not disappointed at all, on the contrary.
The appointment set for 6pm today, when the song was finally available for listening, was followed by thousands of fans, tuned in to the Irish group's social channels so as not to miss the live arrival of U2's new effort. The previews which had shown dark and nocturnal images but also linked to fun (between dance floors, stage and lights) had served to create an atmosphere of anticipation around what represents the second single of the next album.
The Italian translation of the text of Silencio
[Verse 1]
There is a silence where a child doesn't cry (Quiet)
There is a silence where a mother might sigh
Mother Mary, an angel offered her a choice (Serene)
«My son listens, if you have no voice»
An uneasy feeling, I just heard a shot (Silence)
There are things you can get used to, or not
A thief on the loose in a carnival of souls
In silence, the devil plays rock and roll
[Chorus]
Silence, silence
Silence, silence
Where has our love gone?
Hey, Jesus of Rio
It's when I'm with you that I miss you the most
It's when I'm with you that I miss you the most
[Verse 2]
There's a silence when you hear the sound of the ocean (Quiet)
There is a silence where you can hear another soul
Invocation, exaltation is the goal (Dude)
There is a whisper in which the mystery is revealed
There's a silence that says, "Shut the fuck up" (Silence)
There's a diet that says, "Spit it out, damn you."
Pepper spray, the church brings order to the crowd (Control)
In the silence there is the devil's rock and roll
[Chorus]
Silence, silence
Silence, silence
Where has our love gone?
Hey, Jesus of Rio
It's when I'm with you that I miss you the most
It's when I'm with you that I miss you the most
[Bridge]
Dressed like a devil, but tonight you're the master of the house
Of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Campo de Cristo de silencio, shh
[Outro]
Silence (Hey)
Silence (Hey)
Silence (Hey)
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The meaning of the individual's words
The text of the new single Silencio builds around the title word, silence, an ambivalent metaphor that oscillates between spiritual dimensions, violence and solitude. On the one hand there is the peaceful silence of prayer, of the ocean and of listening to the soul, evoked through religious images such as Mary, Jesus, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; on the other, the same silence becomes disturbing, because it can follow a gunshot, hide a danger or coincide with repression and control.
The reference to the "thief on the loose in a carnival of souls" and above all the image of the "devil" rocking and rolling in silence introduce a darker, almost apocalyptic dimension.
At the center of the refrain there is instead a sentimental contradiction: "It's when I'm with you that I miss you the most." Proximity does not eliminate absence, on the contrary it makes it more evident, transforming silence into a space in which what is not said, loss and emotional distance emerge. Even the reference to "Jesus of Rio" contributes to superimposing the sacred and the profane, spirituality and popular culture, while the bridge, with the "devil" dressed as the host of the Trinity, seems to further overturn the religious symbols.
The song seems to question what happens when silence is no longer just the absence of noise, but becomes the place where faith, violence, desire, control and a sense of loss coexist.
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In the week that marks the 50th anniversary since, in September 1976, Larry Mullen Jr. posted a handwritten note on the noticeboard of Mount Temple Comprehensive School, in the Northside neighborhood of Dublin, with the writing "Drummer seeks musicians to form a band", comes a work that sees Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. still looking for new dimensions and possibilities within their creative process.
Recorded almost everywhere and produced by Jacknife Lee, Carnaval De Luz is a collection of 12 songs that explore themes such as spirituality, friendship, freedom and resistance in the face of dark and invasive forces. Sonically, there are echoes of the band's more experimental work, combined with rigorous composition in songs like "The Greatest Show On Earth", "Glorify" and "Midnight Sunshine", as well as in the 2 minute and 35 second homage to the insolence of early surf-punk represented by "Silencio".
The roots of Carnaval De Luz can be traced directly to U2's two six-track EPs, surprisingly released to critical acclaim in early 2026, recorded during the same creative period as the new album. Those releases, Days of Ash and Easter Lily, followed the liturgical calendar, and so Carnaval De Luz sits, stands and dances before them in the timeline. Carnival, a celebration of the flesh, “flesh,” comes before the renunciation represented by Lent, a period of reflection, and the rebirth of Easter. The song that links the album and the two EPs is the final track of the new album, “Torn”, a duet between Bono and the late, great Dolly Parton, in what sadly turned out to be her last recorded vocal performance. Co-written by U2, Parton and Johnny McDaid, it's a tender country song about broken family bonds that has broader resonances.
“Carnaval De Luz” will be released in 2026, the year in which the band will celebrate its 50th anniversary and in which U2 will have released 24 new songs. The album also features the collaboration of Brian Eno (co-author and synthesizers on “Go (Carnaval De Luz)”, “The Greatest Show on Earth” and “Can’t Stop Us Now”), Martin Garrix (co-author of “Glorify”) and Daniel Lanois (on pedal steel on “Torn”); with additional production from Ryan Tedder on “Silencio.”
The Edge said: «It's a chaotic, defiant and sacred collection of songs — and features the use, for the first time ever, of flat-wound strings on a U2 recording. Just saying."
Bono said: «Come closer, come closer, come closer! Bring your purple socks, your broken hearts, your naivety seen through rose-colored glasses… oh, be amazed in the hall of mirrors. There will be blaring guitars, deep bass, ecstatic rhythms and, yes, even some silver tears will make an appearance!
«Because nearby, just outside our carnival of lights, there are creatures of all kinds… the same imagination that gives us creativity can also give life to monsters. So we turn up the volume of the drums. Let's light a bigger fire. Let's make our stories wilder and funnier. Let's make the melodies sweeter and the songs brighter, because if the world is surrounded by darkness, we don't have to be."
The music video for Silencio was shot in Mexico City earlier this year and is directed by Cliqua, the Mexican-American directing duo of Pasqual Gutiérrez and Raúl «RJ» Sanchez.
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