This Friday, David Byrne will release his highly anticipated new album Who Is The Sky? via Matador Records. The latest single from the album ‘What Is The Reason For It?’ Feat. Hayley Williams is out now. Marked by the inviting vocal interplay between Byrne and Paramore’s Williams, ‘What Is the Reason for It?’ aims to understand love in a way logic can rarely accomplish (“does it do something useful? / nobody understands it”).
Born from a creative collaboration between David Byrne and artist Dustin Yellen, the video for ‘What Is The Reason For It?’ uses cutting-edge AI technology to animate more than 20 of Byrne’s original line drawings. Directed by Shira Indbar, the project highlights Yellen’s interest in exploring new technologies to bring still images to life. Watch the video below.
David Byrne – ‘What Is The Reason For It? (ft. Hayley Williams)’ (Official Video)
Who Is the Sky? is Byrne’s first album since releasing the acclaimed 2018 American Utopia, which was later adapted into a hit Broadway musical and a Spike Lee HBO film. It was produced by the Grammy-winning Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus), while its 12 songs were arranged by the members of New York-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra. Guests include Paramore’s Hayley Williams, St. Vincent and The Smile drummer Tom Skinner. Click here to pre-order.
Later this month, David Byrne will kick off a massive world tour. The Live Nation-produced tour kicks off Sept. 14 in Providence, R.I. and includes multiple nights at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles,The Auditorium in Chicago and more.
The new album was introduced by the infectious first single ‘Everybody Laughs’, which sets the tone for Who Is the Sky? with its universal themes of human connection and the potential for societal unity against the chaotic backdrop of the world. Watch the video, directed by multimedia artist Gabriel Barcia-Colombo below.
“At my age, at least for me, there’s a ‘don’t give a shit about what people think’ attitude that kicks in,” Byrne says about the spirit behind Who Is the Sky? “I can step outside my comfort zone with the knowledge that I kind of know who I am by now and sort of know what I’m doing. That said, every new set of songs, every song even, is a new adventure. There’s always a bit of, ‘how do I work this?’ I’ve found that not every collaboration works, but often when they do, it’s because I’m able to clearly impart what it is I’m trying to do. They hopefully get that, and as a result, we’re now joined together heading to the same unknown place.”
David Byrne
Who Is the Sky?
Track list:
When We Are Singing
My Apartment Is My Friend
A Door Called No
What Is the Reason for It?
I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party
Don’t Be Like That
Moisturizing Thing
I’m an Outsider
The Truth
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