David Byrne shares ‘Everybody Laughs’ and announces new album ‘Who Is The Sky?’ featuring Hayley Williams, St. Vincent and more

David Byrne has announced his brand new album ‘Who Is The Sky?’ featuring Hayley Williams, St. Vincent, and more – listen to the first single ‘Everybody Laughs’ below.

• READ MORE: David Byrne: “I have a little bit of hope. Not every day, but some days”

The Talking Heads frontman will release his latest solo album on September 5 via Matador Records. It will be his first new solo music since 2018’s ‘American Utopia’ – pre-order/pre-save ‘Who Is The Sky?’ here.

Produced by Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus), the album is also set to feature St. Vincent, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, and The Smile drummer Tom Skinner.

Today (June 10), Byrne shares the lead single off the album, ‘Everybody Laughs’. Speaking about the track, he said: “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.”

He continued: “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.”

Take a listen to ‘Everybody Laughs’ and see the full ‘Who Is The Sky?’ tracklisting below:

David Byrne’s ‘Who Is The Sky?’ tracklisting is: 

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 a press statement, ‘Who Is The Sky?’ is said to “build upon the optimistic themes” presented in 2018’s ‘American Utopia’, its tour, its successive Grammy-winning Broadway show and its Spike Lee-directed movie.

The album will continue Byrne’s “lifelong exploration of human connection and the potential for societal unity against the chaotic backdrop of the world”, and will feature “more story songs than usual”. St. Vincent is set to feature on the record, who Byrne previously teamed up with on collaborative brass band album ‘Love This Giant‘. They recently sang a cover of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ alongside Arcade Fire for SNL this year.

Meanwhile, Hayley Williams will join Byrne on ‘What Is the Reason For It?’, which wrestles with the inexplainability of love. Byrne covered Paramore’s ‘Hard Times’ for Record Store Day last year, while Williams covered ‘Burning Down The House’ on the recent tribute album for ‘Stop Making Sense’ and its anniversary. Skinner and ‘American Utopia’ percussionist Mauro Refosco will contribute to the record as well.

The 12 songs were all arranged by the New York City-based orchestra Ghost Train Orchestra, whom Byrne enlisted after discovering their 2023 tribute album to the blind New York composer and street poet Moondog.

“I suspected that intimate orchestral arrangements would bring out the emotion I sense is there in these songs,” Byrne said of their recruitment. “It’s something that folks don’t always hear in my work, but this time for sure I thought it was there.”

“At my age, at least for me, there’s a ‘don’t give a shit about what people think’ attitude that kicks in. I can step outside my comfort zone with the knowledge that I kind of know who I am by now and sort of know what I’m doing. That said, every new set of songs, every song even, is a new adventure.”

He added: “There’s always a bit of, ‘how do I work this?’ I’ve found that not every collaboration works, but often when they do, it’s because I’m able to clearly impart what it is I’m trying to do. They hopefully get that, and as a result, we’re now joined together heading to the same unknown place.”

Byrne will embark on a worldwide tour in support of ‘Who Is The Sky?’. Artist presale will begin on Tuesday, June 10, 10am ET, which you can sign up for here. General sale will then commence on Friday, June 14 – grab your US tickets here, your UK tickets here, and take a look at all the dates below:

David Byrne’s ‘Who Is The Sky?’ worldwide tour dates are: 

SEPTEMBER 2025:
14 – Providence, RI – Veterans Memorial Auditorium
16 – Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center PAC
17- Columbus, OH – Mershon Auditorium
19 – Akron, OH – Akron Civic Theatre
21 – Schenectady, NY – Proctors
23 – Syracuse, NY – Landmark Theatre
25 – Buffalo, NY – Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
27 – Washington D.C. – The Anthem
28 – Washington D.C. – The Anthem
30 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall

OCTOBER 2025
01 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
03 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
04 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
07 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre
08 – Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
10 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
14 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
16 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
17 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
21 – Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
22 – Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
25 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
28 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
29 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium
31 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium

NOVEMBER 2025
03 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
04 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
06 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
07 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
11 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
12 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
16 – San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
17 – San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
20 – Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre
21 – Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre
25 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
26 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
28 – Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park
29 – Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park

DECEMBER 2025
02 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
03 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
05 – Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
06 – Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre

JANUARY 2026
14 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena
17 – Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Center
21 – Sydney, Australia – ICC Sydney Theatre
22 – Melbourne, Australia – Sidney Myer Music Bowl
24 – Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
27 – Perth, Australia – RAC Arena

FEBRUARY 2026
12 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
15 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
16 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
18 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National
21 – Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi
22 – Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi
24 – Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle
27 – Zurich, Switzerland – The Hall

MARCH 2026:
02 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
03 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
04 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
06 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
07 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
09 – Manchester, UK – o2 Apollo
10 – Manchester, UK – o2 Apollo
13 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
15 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
18 – Paris, France – La Seine Musicale
19 – Paris, France – La Seine Musicale

We last caught up with David Byrne when he released the American Utopia concert film in 2020, with Byrne sharing why there wouldn’t be a Talking Heads reunion in the future. You can revisit the full Big Read cover feature here.

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