David Byrne’s New Album Is ‘A Chance to Be the Mythical Creature We All Harbor Inside’

Fresh off performing “Burning Down the House” with Olivia Rodrigo at Governors Ball, David Byrne has announced a new album. Who Is the Sky? arrives Sept. 5 via Matador Records.

To accompany the announcement, Byrne released the lead single “Everybody Laughs,” a kaleidoscopic and joyous capturing of society, particularly New Yorkers: “Everybody’s going through the garbage/Looking for inspiration/Someone find it staring at the ceiling/Of the subway station.”

“Someone I know said, ‘David, you use the word “everybody” a lot,’” Byrne said in a statement. “I suppose I do that to give an anthropological view of life in New York as we know it. Everybody lives, dies, laughs, cries, sleeps and stares at the ceiling. Everybody’s wearing everybody else’s shoes, which not everybody does, but I have done.”

“I tried to sing about these things that could be seen as negative in a way balanced by an uplifting feeling from the groove and the melody, especially at the end, when St. Vincent and I are doing a lot of hollering and singing together,” he continued. “Music can do that – hold opposites simultaneously. I realized that when singing with Robyn earlier this year. Her songs are often sad, but the music is joyous.”

Who Is the Sky? follows 2018’s American Utopia, which morphed into a stellar Broadway show and Spike Lee-directed HBO film. Produced by Kid Harpoon, the new album features contributions from St. Vincent (whom he collaborated with on 2012’s Love This Giant), Paramore’s Hayley Williams (on the new track “What Is the Reason for It?”), the Smile’s Tom Skinner, and more. The album is available for pre-order now, including a trippy cantaloupe orange/pink vinyl variant.

Byrne said that the record is “a chance to be the mythical creature we all harbor inside. A chance to step into another reality. A chance to transcend and escape from the prison of our ‘selves.’”

He added: “At my age, at least for me, there’s a ‘don’t give a shit about what people think’ attitude that kicks in. 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.”

Byrne will support the album with a massive tour, hitting North America (dates below), followed by Australia and New Zealand, and concluding with a third leg in Europe and the U.K. Similar to his American Utopia tour, the 13-piece mobile band will feature singers and dancers; tickets go on sale Friday.

Who Is the Sky? Track List

David Byrne North American Tour Dates
Sept. 14 – Providence, RI @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Sept. 16 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center PAC
Sept. 17 – Columbus, OH @ Mershon Auditorium
Sept. 19 – Akron, OH @ Akron Civic Theatre
Sept. 21 – Schenectady, NY @ Proctors
Sept. 23 – Syracuse, NY @ Landmark Theatre
Sept. 25 – Buffalo, NY @ Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
Sept. 27 – Washington D.C. @ The Anthem
Sept. 28 – Washington D.C. @ The Anthem
Sept. 30 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Oct. 1 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Oct. 3 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
Oct. 4 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
Oct. 7 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
Oct. 8 – Portland, ME @ Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
Oct. 10 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Oct. 14- Richmond, VA @ Altria Theater 
Oct. 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
Oct. 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
Oct. 21 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
Oct. 22 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
Oct. 25 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
Oct. 28 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
Oct. 29 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
Oct. 31 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
Nov. 3 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 4- Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 6 – Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
Nov. 7- Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
Nov. 11 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
Nov. 12 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
Nov. 16 – San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Nov. 17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Nov. 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Dolby Theatre
Nov. 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Dolby Theatre
Nov. 25 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
Nov. 26 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
Nov. 28 – Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
Nov. 29 – Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
Dec. 2 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
Dec. 3 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
Dec. 5 – Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
Dec. 6 – Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre