U2 send a yellow Carnaval to the indie shops
The Third Man pressing lands on 13 November in yellow and black, with Gavin Friday on creative direction and the same twelve tracks that close on Dolly Parton's final vocal.
U2 have set a limited yellow vinyl edition of Carnaval de Luz aside for independent record shops, released through Third Man Records on the album's release day, 13 November 2026.
The special edition was announced on 30 September. It arrives in yellow and black packaging and will be available at independent stores from day one. Creative direction is by Gavin Friday, with art direction and design by Shaughn McGrath working alongside the Third Man team. Standard formats and other limited editions form part of the same campaign.
The indie pressing
The yellow vinyl is the route reserved for the independent network. Third Man Records is issuing that run; the wider set of formats will continue through the usual retail channels. The announcement did not publish a figure for how many copies have been pressed, only that the edition is limited and tied to independent shops on release day.
Carnaval de Luz contains twelve tracks. It is U2's first studio album in nine years. Jacknife Lee contributes production. The record closes with "Torn", which features the final recorded vocal by Dolly Parton. That closing track was already flagged when the album itself was revealed earlier in September; the Third Man package does not change the sequence or the credits, only the colour of the disc and the shops that receive it first in this form.
Fifty years and a studio return
The band are marking their fiftieth year. Two EPs were released earlier in 2026, and "Silencio" has already been released as the lead track. Deluxe editions of Carnaval de Luz have been listed beside the standard release. Eno and McDaid are among the writers. The work has been framed as a "messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs" — a full studio record rather than a retrospective.
Gavin Friday's creative direction on the packaging keeps the visual identity close to a Dublin circle the band have long drawn on for image and stagecraft. Shaughn McGrath's art direction, shared with the Third Man team, gives the yellow-and-black sleeve its particular stamp for this run. Buyers seeking black vinyl or the other limited packages still have those options; the yellow pressing is the edition reserved for independent shops on 13 November.
No tour dates or further singles were attached to this announcement. The firm date ahead remains the album release itself. Whether later repressings or further regional variants will follow has not been announced. For the moment the point is clear: when Carnaval de Luz arrives in November, the yellow Third Man edition will be the copy independent shops hold, carrying the same twelve songs and the same Parton vocal that closes the set.