David Byrne is releasing his new album, Who Is the Sky?, on September 5! His first album since American Utopia (2018), it was recorded in 2024 with Ghost Train Orchestra at New York City's Power Station Studios. The album was produced by Kid Harpoon and features contributions from Hayley Williams, St. Vincent, Hamilton Leithauser, among others.

The first single, including a music video, was released on June 10th at the same time that the album was announced, as well as a world tour that includes American dates throughout the fall, then Australia, New Zealand, and Europe in early 2026.

Everybody Laughs

After a couple of weeks of teasing, "Everybody Laughs" was released as the first single for the album and corresponding with its announcement at 8am ET on June 10th. The song itself was premiered less than an hour earlier on BBC Radio 6 where David Byrne was visiting the studio to interview about the new album. A music video premiered at 8am ET on June 11th on the David Byrne YouTube channel.

In his BBC6 interview, Byrne explained that the song's inspiration was from his friend pointing out that he often referred to things that "everybody" does. Around three weeks before release, the "Everybody Laughs" music video was filmed on May 20, 2024, with Ghost Train Orchestra sharing a behind-the-scenes photo showing Byrne in a pink suit alongside several GTO musicians as well as three percussionists from David Byrne's American Utopia band: Stephene San Juan, Mauro Refosco, and Tim Keiper.

Who Is the Sky?

David Byrne's first album since American Utopia in 2018, Who Is the Sky?, releases on September 5. This is Byrne's first album with Matador Records, an independent label particularly known for alternative and indie rock bands such as Pavement, Interpol, and Car Seat Headrest.

Byrne has stated in several interviews that he struggled with finding inspiration for songwriting during the COVID-19 lockdown. The first instance of him alluding to one of the songs on this album came in a May 2023 conversation with John Mulaney, Alex Timbers, and Fred Armisen where he states that he recently wrote a song about moisturizer. He later performed this song, "Moisturizing Thing", on guitar in a stripped-back setting in Los Angeles in January 2024, then again with an orchestra in New York City in October 2024, both times with Fred Armisen on drums.

In May 2024, a Rolling Stones interview with Talking Heads concluded with confirmation that Byrne is working on a new solo studio album. Record sessions began the same month at Power Station Studios in New York, with Ghost Train Orchestra revealing behind-the-scenes photos (and videos!) and members stating that they recorded the "first half" of tracks for a new David Byrne album. "Moisturizing Thing" was among the songs in this session. Another week of recording with Ghost Train Orchestra took place in September, completing the main set of recording for the album. At two different NYC events in May 2025, he performed an acoustic version of another song from the album, "She Explains Things To Me".

On June 10, following various teasers on Byrne's social media, the album title, cover, and release date were revealed in an announcement that coincided with the release of "Everybody Laughs". During his interview with BBC6 in the hour preceding this announcement, he also explained that the album title "Who Is the Sky?" originated from a message his friend sent him, with the phrase being a speech recognition error when trying to input the phrase "Who is this guy?" instead. This is notably similar to the Jimi Hendrix song "Purple Haze", where the words "kiss the sky" are often heard as "kiss this guy".

The album and related promotional materials feature very lucid imagery, mostly revolving around David Byrne dressed in unique costumes designed by fashion designer Tom Van der Borght. For the album cover, special effects are applied to create a swirly background around a photo of Byrne wearing one of these costumes over an orange suit.

The standard version of the album is 37:33, only 10 seconds longer than American Utopia.

1. Everybody Laughs – 3:48
2. When We Are Singing – 3:23
3. My Apartment Is My Friend – 3:03
4. A Door Called No – 2:35
5. What Is The Reason For It? – 3:10
6. Met The Buddha at a Downtown Party – 3:13
7. Don't Be Like That – 3:00
8. The Avant Garde – 3:41
9. Moisturizing Thing – 2:41
10. I'm an Outsider – 3:32
11. She Explains Things To Me – 2:18
12. The Truth – 3:01

Some versions of the album also include the following bonus track, bringing the total to 38:49:

1. DefCon – 1:16

World Tour

You can find links at whoisthesky.davidbyrne.com.

US and Canada (September – December 2025)

9/14 – Providence, RI – Veterans Memorial Auditorium

9/16 – Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center

9/17 – Columbus, OH – Mershon Auditorium

9/19 – Akron, OH – Akron Civic Theatre

9/21 – Schenectady, NY – Proctor’s Theatre

9/23 – Syracuse, NY – Landmark Theatre

9/25 – Buffalo, NY – Shea’s Performing Arts Center

9/27 – Washington DC – The Anthem

9/28 – Washington DC – The Anthem

9/30 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall

10/1 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall

10/2 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre

10/3 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre

10/4 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre

10/7 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre

10/8 – Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium

10/10 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall

10/11 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall

10/14 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater

10/16 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met

10/17 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met

10/21 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall

10/22 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall

10/23 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall

10/25 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre

10/28 – Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theatre

10/29 – Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theatre

10/31 – Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theatre

11/3 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre

11/4 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre

11/6 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre

11/7 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre

11/11 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre

11/13 – 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

11/25 – 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

12/2 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre

12/3 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre

12/5 – Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre

12/6 – Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre

New Zealand and Australia (January 2026)

14/1 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena

17/1 – Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Centre

21/1 – Sydney, Australia – ICC Sydney Theatre

22/1 – Melbourne, Australia – Sidney Myer Music Bowl

24/1 – Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena

27/1 – Perth, Australia – RAC Arena

EU and UK (February & March 2026)

12/2 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom

15/2 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS

16/2 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS

18/2 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National Arena

21/2 – Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi

22/2 – Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi

24/2 – Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle

27/2 – Zurich, Switzerland – The Hall

2/3 – Cardiff, United Kingdom – Utilita Arena

3/3 – London, United Kingdom – Eventim Apollo

4/3 – London, United Kingdom – Eventim Apollo

6/3 – Glasgow, United Kingdom – Armadillo

7/3 – Glasgow, United Kingdom – Armadillo

9/3 – Manchester, United Kingdom – O2 Apollo

10/3 – Manchester, United Kingdom – O2 Apollo

11/3 – Manchester, United Kingdom – O2 Apollo

13/3 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena

15/3 – London, United Kingdom – Eventim Apollo

16/3 – London, United Kingdom – Eventim Apollo

18/3 – Paris, France – La Seine Musicale

19/3 – Paris, France – La Seine