David Byrne has long operated as pop music’s most benevolent anthropologist, an artist perpetually cocking his head at the strange pageant of human behavior and translating it into rhythm. From the nervous energy of Talking Heads to the grand, gray-suited communion of American Utopia, he has consistently prodded at the mundane to reveal the sublime. Now, Byrne announces his first solo album in six years, Who Is the Sky?, out September 5th via Matador Records. The ambitious 12-track project, produced by Kid Harpoon and arranged by members of the New York-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, is introduced by the wonderfully infectious first single and video, “Everybody Laughs.”
The track is a burst of orchestral pop, propelled by a jaunty groove and the lush, cinematic arrangements of the New York-based chamber ensemble. It finds Byrne cataloguing the shared, often unspoken, truths of existence. “Everybody lives, dies, laughs, cries, sleeps and stares at the ceiling,” he intones, his delivery poised between sincere observation and wry commentary. It’s a litany that could feel like a platitude, but in Byrne’s hands, it becomes a unifying mantra. The song builds into a joyous cacophony, with Byrne and guest vocalist St. Vincent “doing a lot of hollering and singing together,” transforming the litany into a cathartic release.
“Someone I know said, ‘David, you use the word “everybody” a lot.’ I suppose I do that to give an anthropological view of life in New York as we know it,” Byrne states in a press release. He describes a conscious effort to balance life’s negatives with a countervailing musical uplift. “Music can do that – hold opposites simultaneously,” he reflects. “I realized that when singing with Robyn earlier this year. Her songs are often sad, but the music is joyous.”
The collaboration with Kid Harpoon, born from a chance meeting at a party, proves inspired. The producer, known for polishing pop to a high gleam, helps sharpen the accessible edges of Byrne’s avant-garde inclinations without dulling their essential weirdness. “Walking around New York listening to the demo of ‘Everybody Laughs’ was so joyous, because it made me feel like we’re all the same,” adds Harpoon. “The thing about David that resonates with a lot of people is that he’s in on the joke. He gets the absurdity of it all.”
Who Is the Sky? grew from sketches Byrne jotted down as his triumphant American Utopia era concluded. Questioning the very purpose of his work, he found answers in songs that are described as cinematic, humorous, and joyful, continuing his lifelong exploration of human connection. The album is stacked with an impressive list of collaborators, including Paramore’s Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner, and longtime percussionist Mauro Refosco, all woven into the intricate arrangements of the Ghost Train Orchestra.
Following a period of intense creative output that morphed from a tour into a Broadway phenomenon and a Spike Lee film, Byrne seems to be returning to the foundational power of the song. With a major world tour announced for the fall, featuring a 13-piece mobile band, he is once again setting the stage for a new kind of collective experience. “Everybody Laughs” is the perfect overture—a smart, compassionate, and deeply danceable reminder that in a chaotic world, sometimes the most profound thing we can do is share a laugh at the beautiful absurdity of it all.
Who Is the Sky? tracklist:
1.Everybody Laughs
2. When We Are Singing
3. My Apartment Is My Friend
4. A Door Called No
5. What Is the Reason for It?
6. I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party
7. Don’t Be Like That
8. The Avant Garde
9. Moisturizing Thing
10. I’m an Outsider
11. She Explains Things to Me
12. The Truth
WORLDWIDE TOUR DATES
More ticket info: https://whoisthesky.davidbyrne.com/
North America:
09/14/2025 – Providence, RI – Veterans Memorial Auditorium
09/16/2025 – Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center PAC
09/17/2025 – Columbus, OH – Mershon Auditorium
09/19/2025 – Akron, OH – Akron Civic Theatre
09/21/2025 – Schenectady, NY – Proctors
09/23/2025 – Syracuse, NY – Landmark Theatre
09/25/2025 – Buffalo, NY – Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
09/27/2025 – Washington D.C. – The Anthem
09/28/2025 – Washington D.C. – The Anthem
09/30/2025 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
10/01/2025 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
10/03/2025 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
10/04/2025 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
10/07/2025 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre
10/08/2025 – Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
10/10/2025 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
10/14/2025 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
10/16/2025 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/17/2025 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/21/2025 – Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
10/22/2025 – Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
10/25/2025 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
10/28/2025 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
10/29/2025 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
10/31/2025 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
11/03/2025 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
11/04/2025 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
11/06/2025 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
11/07/2025 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
11/11/2025 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
11/12/2025 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
11/16/2025 – San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/17/2025 – San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/20/2025 – Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre
11/21/2025 – Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre
11/25/2025 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
11/26/2025 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
11/28/2025 – Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park
11/29/2025 – Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park
12/02/2025 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
12/03/2025 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
12/05/2025 – Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
12/06/2025 – Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
Australia & New Zealand:
01/14/2026 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena
01/17/2026 – Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Center
01/21/2026 – Sydney, Australia – ICC Sydney Theatre
01/22/2026 – Melbourne, Australia – Sidney Myer Music Bowl
01/24/2026 – Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
01/27/2026 – Perth, Australia – RAC Arena
Europe & United Kingdom:
02/12/2026 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
02/15/2026 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
02/16/2026 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
02/18/2026 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National
02/21/2026 – Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi
02/22/2026 – Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi
02/24/2026 – Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle
02/27/2026 – Zurich, Switzerland – The Hall
03/02/2026 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
03/03/2026 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
03/04/2026 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
03/06/2026 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
03/07/2026 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
03/09/2026 – Manchester, UK – o2 Apollo
03/10/2026 – Manchester, UK – o2 Apollo
03/13/2026 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
03/15/2026 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
03/18/2026 – Paris, France – La Seine Musicale
03/19/2026 – Paris, France – La Seine Musicale