David Byrne Returns With ‘Who Is the Sky?’ Album and Global Tour
David Byrne is back—and as upbeat and anxious as ever. The legendary Talking Heads frontman and all-around art-pop chameleon has announced Who Is the Sky?, his first solo album in seven years, arriving September 5 via Matador Records. Along with the album news, Byrne revealed a sprawling 68-date international tour that will kick off this fall, blending fresh material with a familiar sense of theatrical absurdity.
The album, produced by Grammy-winner Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Florence + The Machine), features 12 tracks arranged by the Ghost Train Orchestra, a New York chamber ensemble with a penchant for vintage brass and avant-jazz. The lead single, “Everybody Laughs,” dropped with the announcement—an existential groove anchored by lyrical repetition and featuring guest vocals from St. Vincent. The video, directed by multimedia artist Gabriel Barcia-Colombo, is surreal and kinetic, much like Byrne himself.
In a press statement, Byrne mused, “Everybody lives, dies, laughs, cries, sleeps and stares at the ceiling… 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.”
That duality—joy alongside dread—is something both Kid Harpoon and longtime fans seem to understand about Byrne’s work. "The thing about David that resonates with a lot of people is that he’s in on the joke," Harpoon adds. “He gets the absurdity of it all.”
Joining St. Vincent on the album are Hayley Williams (Paramore) and Tom Skinner (The Smile), marking a new era of genre-blending for Byrne, who’s never been shy about collaboration.
And yes, the tour promises the choreography-forward staging fans saw on American Utopia, with a 13-piece ensemble that includes musicians, dancers, and vocalists all in constant motion. North American dates begin in September 2025, with shows in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe stretching into 2026.
If American Utopia was Byrne’s Broadway thesis on hope, Who Is the Sky? may be its eccentric downstairs neighbor—less idealistic epiphany, more anthropological diary from a city sidewalk. Whatever it is, it’s David Byrne. Expect the unexpected.
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 13.
Written by J.C. Roddy
