DAVID BYRNE releases new album Who Is The Sky?

David Byrne is proud to release Who Is the Sky?, his first new album since 2018’s acclaimed and award-winning American Utopia, which is released today by Matador Records. The album 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.

Musical friends old and new, including St. Vincent, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner and American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco, also make appearances on Who Is the Sky?, which is led by the infectious single ‘Everybody Laughs.’  Along with the song, Byrne also released its official video, directed by multimedia artist Gabriel Barcia-Colombo.

David Byrne – ‘Everybody Laughs’ (Official Music Video)

‘She Explains Things to Me’ taps into some of the deeper themes of Who Is the Sky? and was partially inspired by Rebecca Solnit’s  book Men Explain Things to Me. Through the narrator’s curious internal monologue, Byrne reflects here on the way men dismiss women’s ideas and points of view.

David Byrne – ‘She Explains Things To Me’ (Official Lyric Video)

‘The Avant Garde’ wrestles with the merits of art for art’s sake, “it’s ahead of the curve / it’s deceptively weighty, profound, absurd / it’s whatever fits”.

Byrne says: “Some people will hear this and say, “David is calling bullshit on his friends” but it’s more nuanced than that. Anyone who knows me knows that I go to plenty of shows that might be classified as avant-garde or experimental. Edgy and untraditional work is hugely inspiring to me, as it often changes the way I think and influences what I do (without me simply appropriating the ideas, I hope). That said, trying something unproven and radically new is risky. Sometimes, as with anything risky, it doesn’t quite hit the bullseye. There’s no guarantee that it will achieve what it aims to do, but when it does, the emotional and intellectual rewards are worth it. That is the risk one takes while making something new and unconventional.  So yes, there are times when it doesn’t mean shit, but often there are times when something wholly original comes into being and it’s all worth it. I love that the Ghost Train folks and Kid Harpoon took what could have been a fairly conventional song I’d written (musically at least), and steered it into something that to me sounds like Led Zeppelin meets Dirty Projectors.”

David Byrne – ‘The Avant Garde’ (Official Lyric Video)

The latest single from the album ‘What Is The Reason For It?’ Feat. Hayley Williams was released yesterday. 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)

Early Praise for Who Is The Sky?

“Weirdness and wonder abound” – MOJO ****