
David Byrne will release a new album called “Who Is the Sky?” on Sept. 5 via Matador Records. To accompany the announcement, Byrne has released the compelling Gabriel Barcia-Colombo-directed video and track “Everybody Laughs.”
“Who Is the Sky?” is Byrne’s first new album since his award-winning multi-platform work, “American Utopia.”
The new album was produced by Kid Harpoon, known for his collaborations with Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus, and the album’s 12 songs were arranged by the members of the chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, which is based in New York.
St. Vincent, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner and American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco, all friends and musical colleagues, also make appearances on “Who Is the Sky?”
Along with the track “Everybody Laughs,” Byrne has released its official video, directed by multimedia artist Barcia-Colombo.
“Someone I know said, ‘David, you use the word “everybody” a lot,’” Byrne recalled. “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 said. “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.”
Pre-order the album, including a limited Cantaloupe Orange / Strawberry Pink split vinyl featuring a lenticular cover here.
Check out ‘Everybody Laughs’ here: