Mr Viral
After plenty of teasing this month, both of his own music and a new Talking Heads video for “Psycho Killer,” David Byrne has announced his first solo album in seven years and a tour of North America, Europe, and Australasia. Who Is the Sky? is out September 5 via Matador. Leading the record is lead single “Everybody Laughs,” which comes with a video directed by Gabriel Barcia-Colombo. Watch it below, and scroll down for all the forthcoming tour dates.
All 12 songs on Who Is the Sky? were arranged by members of the New York–based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra. The follow-up to 2018’s American Utopia—Byrne’s solo album turned Broadway musical turned concert film—also includes contributions from St. Vincent (with whom he recorded a collaborative LP), Paramore’s Hayley Williams (whose music he once covered), the Smile drummer Tom Skinner, and others.
Byrne said in a press 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. 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. Music can do that—hold opposites simultaneously.”
Byrne will tour behind the new album extensively next year. The backing band will consist of 13 musicians, singers, and dancers, including members of the American Utopia band, all of whom “will be mobile throughout the set,” according to a press release. The North American leg begins this September, with shows in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe taking place in 2026.
Revisit the interviews “David Byrne on the Music That Made Him” and “Talking Heads’ Original Lineup on Stop Making Sense, Their Early Days, and the Future.”
All products featured on Pitchfork are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
David Byrne: Who Is the Sky?
Who Is the Sky?:
01 Everybody Laughs
02 When We Are Singing
03 My Apartment Is My Friend
04 A Door Called No
05 What Is the Reason for It? [ft. Hayley Williams]
06 I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party
07 Don’t Be Like That
08 The Avant Garde
09 Moisturizing Thing
10 I’m an Outsider
11 She Explains Things to Me
12 The Truth
David Byrne:
09-14 Providence, RI – Veterans Memorial Auditorium
09-16 Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center PAC
09-17 Columbus, OH – Mershon Auditorium
09-19 Akron, OH – Akron Civic Theatre
09-21 Schenectady, NY – Proctors
09-23 Syracuse, NY – Landmark Theatre
09-25 Buffalo, NY – Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
09-27 Washington, D.C. – The Anthem
09-28 Washington, D.C. – The Anthem
09-30 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
10-01 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
10-03 Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
10-04 Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
10-07 Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre
10-08 Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
10-10 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
10-14 Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
10-16 Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia
10-17 Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia
10-21 Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
10-22 Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
10-25 Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
10-28 Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
10-29 Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
10-31 Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
11-03 Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
11-04 Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
11-06 Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
11-07 Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
11-11 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
11-12 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
11-16 San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11-17 San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11-20 Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre
11-21 Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre
11-25 Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
11-26 Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
11-28 Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park
11-29 Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park
12-02 Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
12-03 Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
12-05 Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre
12-06 Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre
01-14 Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena
01-17 Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Center
01-21 Sydney, Australia – ICC Sydney Theatre
01-22 Melbourne, Australia – Sidney Myer Music Bowl
01-24 Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
01-27 Perth, Australia – RAC Arena
02-12 Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
02-15 Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
02-16 Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
02-18 Brussels, Belgium – Forest National
02-21 Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi
02-22 Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi
02-24 Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle
02-27 Zurich, Switzerland – The Hall
03-02 Cardiff, Wales – Utilita Arena
03-03 London, England – Eventim Apollo
03-04 London, England – Eventim Apollo
03-06 Glasgow, Scotland – SEC Armadillo
03-07 Glasgow, Scotland – SEC Armadillo
03-09 Manchester, England – O2 Apollo
03-10 Manchester, England – O2 Apollo
03-13 Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
03-15 London, England – Eventim Apollo
03-18 Paris, France – La Seine Musicale
03-19 Paris, France – La Seine Musicale
David Byrne: Who Is the Sky? Tour
