David Byrne has shared a new single, ‘She Explains Things to Me’

David Byrne has unveiled new single ‘She Explains Things to Me’, the latest track from his upcoming album ‘Who Is the Sky?’.

The single explores themes central to the new record, drawing partial inspiration from Rebecca Solnit‘s book ‘Men Explain Things to Me’. Through an internal monologue, Byrne examines the dismissal of women’s perspectives by men.

“Many times I have marveled at how a friend (usually a female friend) seems to clock what is going on in a film between characters way before I do,” says Byrne. “Sometimes I understand poetry, but sometimes I need help. Though inspired by the Solnit book ‘men explain things to me’ there is a huge difference- mansplaining is usually unasked for, in this case I am the one asking.”

‘Who Is the Sky?’ marks Byrne’s first album since 2018’s ‘American Utopia’. The 12-track record, produced by Kid Harpoon, features arrangements by New York chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra and collaborations with Hayley Williams, St. Vincent, and Tom Skinner.

“At my age, at least for me, there’s a ‘don’t give a shit about what people think’ attitude that kicks in,” Byrne explains. “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. 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.”