David Byrne announces new album ‘Who Is The Sky?’ and confirms world tour
David Byrne has confirmed his new album, Who Is The Sky?, which is set for release on September 5th through Matador Records.
The announcement of the new record, Byrne’s first since American Utopia in 2018, has been accompanied by the delightfully uplifting lead single, ‘Everybody Laughs’. Who Is The Sky? is produced by Tom Hull, aka Kid Harpoon, with arrangement duties taken care of by New York-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra.
Speaking about the track, Bryne said: “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. 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.”
The Talking Heads frontman added: “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. 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.”
Producer Kid Harpoon, who is best known for his work with Harry Styles, said of collaborating with Byrne: “It took me a second to realize, oh yeah, these songs are personal, but with David’s unique perspective on life in general.”
Kid Harpoon added: “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 – we all laugh, cry and sing. 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, and all of these personal observations are his perspective on it.”
According to Byrne, Who Is The Sky? contains “more story songs than usual” and also features collaborations. Guest appearances include Paramore singer Hayley Williams, St Vincent and The Smile’s Tom Skinner.
Byrne, aged 73, also noted how he’s become more carefree as he’s got older, “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.”
He continued: “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 has also assembled a 13-strong group of musicians, singers and dancers who will be joining him for a world tour which will kick off in Providence at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium on September 14th before travelling across North America. Notable dates include two hometown shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York and two concerts at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
In January, Byrne will bring the tour to Australia and New Zealand before travelling to the UK and Europe in February for a six-week run. In the UK, he will play Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow and three shows at London’s Eventim Apollo.
Byrne’s full set of tour dates and tracklist is listed below.
David Byrne – ‘Who Is The Sky?’ tracklist
- ‘Everybody Laughs’
- ‘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’
- ‘The Avant Garde’
- ‘Moisturizing Thing’
- ‘I’m an Outsider’
- ‘She Explains Things to Me’
- ‘The Truth’
David Byrne world tour dates:
September
14 – Providence, RI – Veterans Memorial Auditorium
16 – Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center PAC
17 – Columbus, OH – Mershon Auditorium
19 – Akron, OH – Akron Civic Theatre
21 – Schenectady, NY – Proctors
23 – Syracuse, NY – Landmark Theatre
25 – Buffalo, NY – Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
27 – Washington D.C. – The Anthem
28 – Washington D.C. – The Anthem
30 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
October
01 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
03 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
04 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
07 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre
08 – Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
10 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
14 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
16 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
17 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
21 – Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
22 – Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
25 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
28 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
29 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
31 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
November
03 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
04 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
06 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
07 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
11 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
12 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
16 – San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
17 – San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
20 – Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre
21 – Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre
25 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
26 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
28 – Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park
29 – Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park
December
02 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
03 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
05 – Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
06- Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
January
14 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena
17 – Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Center
21- Sydney, Australia – ICC Sydney Theatre
22 – Melbourne, Australia – Sidney Myer Music Bowl
24 – Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
27 – Perth, Australia – RAC Arena
February
12 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
15 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
16 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
18 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National
21 – Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi
22 – Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi
24 – Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle
27 – Zurich, Switzerland – The Hall
March
02 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
03 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
04 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
06 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
07 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
09 – Manchester, UK – O2 Apollo
10 – Manchester, UK – O2 Apollo
13 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
15 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
18 – Paris, France – La Seine Musicale
19 – Paris, France – La Seine Musicale
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