Beyoncé to The Mars Volta: The new songs David Byrne thinks are future classics
As the man who literally played a building, David Byrne knows musical innovation when he sees it. Despite his somewhat controversial disposition toward his former Talking Heads bandmates, there is no doubt that the Scottish-American is one of music’s foremost innovators. From blending Fela Kuti-styled polyrhythms and electronic textures to innovations such as converting different structures into instruments, Byrne has made it his life’s work to push sonics into a new realm.
Outside of his most famous additions to popular culture, Byrne has continually demonstrated that he is a cerebral artist in a very literal sense. He lives his art, and this nature has seen him find an array of successes, including working with electronic music pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su on the soundtrack for Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, creating the celebrated concert film American Utopia and collaborating with St. Vincent on Love This Giant. Furthermore, no mention of his triumphs is complete without mentioning his cult hit with X-Press 2, ‘Lazy’.
These accomplishments only account for a small part of his prolific journey, including designing a series of bicycle parking racks and various manifestations of visual art. A restless creative, fuelled by what he describes as his “superpower” – being on the autistic spectrum – he is hyperfocused on creativity. He deems it the primary means of expressing himself when the neurotypical means are somewhat obstructed.
One of Byrne’s most enlightening endeavours is his internet radio station, Radio David Byrne, which he launched in 2005. It’s a fascinating listening experience, wherein the former Talking Heads vocalist uses the platform to teach fans about largely untapped areas in the mainstream, such as Nigerian music, Flamenco, and even songs that make him cry. Even just glancing at the episode list alludes to the tremendous scope that his intellect covers.
One of the most compelling recent episodes has been ‘Tomorrow’s Hits Today’ from August 2022. With an expansive collection of new songs that he believes are future classics, there is no better reflection of his taste in music and how he perennially has his finger on the pulse. Whether it be successful acts such as Beyoncé and Billie Eilish, the wild prog of The Mars Volta, or the glitchy pop of British duo Jockstrap, this list of 54 tracks highlights some of contemporary music’s most compelling recent efforts.
Explaining his motivation for compiling the list, Byrne said: “There was yet another article that came out this week noting that old music is way more popular than new music. “70% of the music market is old songs”, one article states. There are numerous reasons for this: there are way more old songs than new ones, and with unlimited choice on streaming, well… you do the math. Algorithms are proposed as an explanation as well. That said, there are lots of incredible new songs and new music appearing all the time… This playlist is the evidence. Some of these artists will be familiar, some will not. Some are what might be called “commercial”, others are more unusual. All are worth checking out. Enjoy!”
Find the list below.
The new songs David Byrne thinks will become classics:
- Amylie – ‘La mélodie’
- Arcade Fire – ‘Age of Anxiety I’
- BANKS – ‘Meteorite’
- Beyoncé – ‘BREAK MY SOUL’
- Gabriels – ‘Bloodline’
- Black Pumas – ‘Colors’
- BoyWithUke – ‘Long Drives’
- Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – ‘Ceci n’est pas un cliché’
- Chilly Gonzales & Guesch Patti – ‘Dans Tes Yeux’
- CKay – ‘Love Nwantiti (ah ah ah) [feat. Joeboy & Kuami Eugene] [Remix]’
- Clairo – ‘Sofia’
- Cynthia Erivo – ‘Stand Up (from Harriet)’
- Dawn Richard – ‘Boomerang (Suzi Analogue Remix)’
- Eglantine Gouzy – ‘Boa’
- Father John Misty – ‘Goodbye Mr. Blue’
- FINNEAS – ‘A Concert Six Months From Now’
- Nilüfer Yanya – ‘stabilise’
- Florence + the Machine – ‘My Love’
- BoyWithUke – ‘Toxic’
- Gabriels – ‘Love and Hate in a Different Time’
- Ibeyi – ‘Sister 2 Sister’
- Jockstrap – ‘Concrete Over Water’
- Joel Corry – ‘Liquor Store’
- Amylie – ‘La bête’
- Joy Crookes – ‘Trouble’
- Kamikaze Palm Tree – ‘Flamingo’
- Kevin Morby – ‘This Is a Photograph’
- L’Rain – ‘Blame Me’
- Labrinth – ‘Mount Everest’
- Tones And I – ‘Johnny Run Away’
- Lana Del Rey – ‘Let Me Love You Like a Woman’
- Little Simz – ‘Introvert’
- Lizzo – ‘Grrrls’
- The Mars Volta – ‘Blacklight Shine’
- Mikhaela Faye – ‘I Don’t Want Your Baby’
- Father John Misty – ‘Funny Girl’
- MØ – ‘Brad Pitt’
- Moonchild Sanelly – ‘Undumpable’
- Nilüfer Yanya – ‘the dealer’
- Pink Sweat$ – ‘PINK CITY’
- Post Malone – ‘I Like You (A Happier Song) [feat. Doja Cat]’
- Red Robyn – ‘Nadezhda’
- Santigold – ‘Can’t Get Enough of Myself (feat. BC Unidos)’
- Sasha Sloan – ‘Older’
- Saucy Santana – ‘Booty (feat. Latto)’
- Simi – ‘Woman’
- Tay Money & Saucy Santana – ‘Hello’
- Tones And I – ‘Dance Monkey’
- The Weeknd – ‘Sacrifice’
- Yelle – ‘Safari Disco Club’
- 17 Hippies – ‘Saragina Rumba’
- Billie Eilish – ‘TV’
- Moonchild Sanelly – ‘Let It Rip’
- Mamalarky – ‘Mythical Bonds’
