David Byrne Ponders ‘Who Is The Sky?’ On 1st New Album In 7 Years, Announces World Tour

The ever-innovative David Byrne announced he’ll release Who Is The Sky, his highly anticipated first new album since 2018, on September 5 through Matador Records. Byrne confirmed an extensive world tour in support of the forthcoming album, which features the newly shared lead single, “Everybody Laughs.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Talking Heads frontman enlisted the members of New York-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra to arrange the songs on the follow-up to 2018’s American Utopia. Byrne tapped Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus) to produce the 12-track album.

Who Is The Sky? features contributions from an array of Byrne’s musical friends, including Ghost Train Orchestra, St. Vincent, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner and American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco.

After discovering Ghost Train Orchestra’s 2023 Moondog tribute album, Byrne was so impressed he joined them onstage during a Brooklyn show later that year. The 15-member group’s diverse arsenal of drums, percussion, guitar, bass, plus full strings, winds and brass sections sparked his imagination: “what if that’s what these new songs of mine sounded like?” When he proposed that they become his recording band for Who Is The Sky?, Ghost Train Orchestra enthusiastically accepted.

“David sent me some demos and asked us to put together some orchestral ideas,” explained Ghost Train Orchestra leader Brian Carpenter. “Curtis Hasselbring and I quickly wrote a couple rough draft arrangements of his songs for Ghost Train, including ‘My Apartment Is My Friend,’ which was the first song we rehearsed at our tiny rehearsal space in Chinatown. To hear him singing with us for the first time on that song was just incredible.”

Following an introduction from a friend at party, Kid Harpoon (Tom Hull) joined the project next. “Sometimes things do happen at parties,” Byrne quipped. “I knew this could all get complicated and I also wanted to be sure the recordings sounded as good as possible. An outside set of ears can be super helpful. A few artists I knew had worked with Kid Harpoon, and I thought those records sounded really good.” After Byrne sent Harpoon some demos and had a conversation at a hotel in Santa Monica, the producer went all in.

While “Everybody Laughs” features new soundscapes courtesy of Ghost Train Orchestra, Byrne’s unmistakable vocals are at the heart of the optimistic new single. David Byrne shared the following about Who Is The Sky? and its first preview:

“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. I realized that when singing with Robyn earlier this year. Her songs are often sad, but the music is joyous.”

“It took me a second to realize, oh yeah, these songs are personal, but with David’s unique perspective on life in general,” added Kid Harpoon. “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.”

Watch the Gabriel Barcia-Colombo-directed video for David Byrne’s “Everybody Laughs” below:

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

In support of Who Is the Sky?, Byrne will present an all-new live production featuring a 13-piece ensemble of mobile musicians, singers and dancers, several of whom performed in the American Utopia Tour. The international itinerary commences with North American dates in September, progresses to Australia & New Zealand engagements beginning January 2026, and concludes with European and United Kingdom performances in February.

Fan pre-sale tickets go on sale on today, June 10 at 10 a.m. ET and will be available through Thursday, June 12 at 10 p.m. local venue time. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 13.