While there is no Talking Heads reunion in sight, David Byrne continues to forge ahead in his singular multimedia avant-garde art fashion. To mark the 50th anniversary of Talking Heads’ debut at CBGB, he recently unveiled the first-ever official video for “Psycho Killer,” directed by Mike Mills and starring Saoirse Ronan. But even as he nods to the past, Byrne turns the page with the announcement of a brand new solo album: Who Is The Sky?, set for release September 5th on Matador Records—his first album since 2018, and his debut for the legendary indie label.
The entire album is a collaboration with New York chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, whose 2023 tribute to Moondog (featuring Kronos Quartet) first caught Byrne’s ear. The ensemble’s leader, Brian Carpenter, said: “David sent me some demos and asked us to put together some orchestral ideas. 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.”
Byrne also enlisted St. Vincent, Hayley Williams, and percussionists Tom Skinner (The Smile) and Mauro Refosco (Atoms For Peace, American Utopia), with production handled by Kid Harpoon. Known for his work with Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus, Kid Harpoon brings a pop sharpness to Byrne’s eccentric vision. He reflects, “It took me a second to realize, oh yeah, these songs are personal, but with David’s unique perspective on life in general. 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.”
The lead single, “Everybody Laughs,” features Afro-Caribbean rhythms, string arrangements, and hollered backing vocals from St. Vincent. Byrne elaborates: “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.”
Watch the video for “Everybody Laughs” below:
Byrne adds that Who Is The Sky? contains “more story songs than usual,” and explains, “I suspected that intimate orchestral arrangements would bring out the emotion I sense is there in these songs. It’s something that folks don’t always hear in my work, but this time for sure I thought it was there. At the same time, I also see myself as someone who aspires to be accessible. I imagined that Kid Harpoon would help with that, as well as being a set of trusted ears, since there was a lot going on. People think of producers as people who mainly make a record sound good, and Kid Harpoon did that, but he was also aware of how important the storytelling is.”
The album’s visual concept was developed with Shira Inbar, with photos by Ahmed Klink, costumes by Tom Van der Borght, and behind-the-scenes photography by Kalliopi Magnis. It continues Byrne’s tradition of building immersive, multimedia experiences around his music.
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
You can pre-order the album here, including a limited edition Cantaloupe Orange and Strawberry Pink split vinyl with a lenticular cover. Stream or download “Everybody Laughs,” and pre-save or preorder “Who Is The Sky?” across digital platforms.
In support of the album, Byrne embarks on a global tour beginning this fall, including three nights at New York’s Radio City Music Hall (September 30, October 1, October 10) and multi-night runs in D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, and Chicago. The performances will expand upon the mobile, unchained choreography of his American Utopia shows. “Instead of the chain… we will have locations,” Byrne teased.
Tickets go on sale on Friday (6/13), with an artist presale for the entire tour starting today (6/10) at 10:00 AM ET. All dates are listed below.
David Byrne — 2025/2026 Tour Dates
09/14/2025 – Providence, RI – Veterans Memorial Auditorium
09/16/2025 – Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center PAC
09/17/2025 – Columbus, OH – Mershon Auditorium
09/19/2025 – Akron, OH – Akron Civic Theatre
09/21/2025 – Schenectady, NY – Proctors
09/23/2025 – Syracuse, NY – Landmark Theatre
09/25/2025 – Buffalo, NY – Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
09/27/2025 – Washington D.C. – The Anthem
09/28/2025 – Washington D.C. – The Anthem
09/30/2025 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
10/01/2025 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
10/03/2025 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
10/04/2025 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
10/07/2025 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre
10/08/2025 – Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
10/10/2025 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
10/14/2025 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
10/16/2025 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/17/2025 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/21/2025 – Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
10/22/2025 – Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
10/25/2025 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
10/28/2025 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
10/29/2025 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
10/31/2025 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
11/03/2025 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
11/04/2025 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
11/06/2025 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
11/07/2025 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
11/11/2025 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
11/12/2025 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
11/16/2025 – San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/17/2025 – San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/20/2025 – Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre
11/21/2025 – Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre
11/25/2025 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
11/26/2025 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
11/28/2025 – Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park
11/29/2025 – Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park
12/02/2025 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
12/03/2025 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
12/05/2025 – Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
12/06/2025 – Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
Australia
01/14/2026 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena
01/17/2026 – Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Center
01/21/2026 – Sydney, Australia – ICC Sydney Theatre
01/22/2026 – Melbourne, Australia – Sidney Myer Music Bowl
01/24/2026 – Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
01/27/2026 – Perth, Australia – RAC Arena
Europe
02/12/2026 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
02/15/2026 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
02/16/2026 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
02/18/2026 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National
02/21/2026 – Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi
02/22/2026 – Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi
02/24/2026 – Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle
02/27/2026 – Zurich, Switzerland – The Hall
03/02/2026 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
03/03/2026 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
03/04/2026 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
03/06/2026 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
03/07/2026 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
03/09/2026 – Manchester, UK – o2 Apollo
03/10/2026 – Manchester, UK – o2 Apollo
03/13/2026 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
03/15/2026 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
03/18/2026 – Paris, France – La Seine Musicale
03/19/2026 – Paris, France – La Seine Musicale
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