David Byrne has released a new track, ‘The Avant Garde’, taken from his forthcoming album ‘Who Is the Sky?’, due 5th September via Matador Records.
The song addresses the idea of art for art’s sake – “it’s ahead of the curve / it’s deceptively weighty, profound, absurd / it’s whatever fits” – and follows previous singles ‘Everybody Laughs’ and ‘She Explains Things to Me’. ‘Who Is the Sky?’ is Byrne’s first full-length since 2018’s ‘American Utopia’, which later became a Broadway production and HBO film.
Discussing the new track, Byrne says: “Some people will hear this and say, “David is calling bullshit on his friends” but it’s more nuanced than that. Anyone who knows me knows that I go to plenty of shows that might be classified as avant-garde or experimental. Edgy and untraditional work is hugely inspiring to me, as it often changes the way I think and influences what I do (without me simply appropriating the ideas, I hope).
“That said, trying something unproven and radically new is risky. Sometimes, as with anything risky, it doesn’t quite hit the bullseye. There’s no guarantee that it will achieve what it aims to do, but when it does, the emotional and intellectual rewards are worth it. That is the risk one takes while making something new and unconventional.
“So yes, there are times when it doesn’t mean shit, but often there are times when something wholly original comes into being and it’s all worth it. I love that the Ghost Train folks and Kid Harpoon took what could have been a fairly conventional song I’d written (musically at least), and steered it into something that to me sounds like Led Zeppelin meets Dirty Projectors.”
Produced by Grammy-winner Kid Harpoon, the album’s 12 tracks were arranged by New York chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, with contributions from Paramore’s Hayley Williams, St. Vincent and The Smile’s Tom Skinner.
Byrne has also recently confirmed a world tour. The European run includes UK dates in Cardiff, London, Glasgow and Manchester, with further shows across North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The dates read:
SEPTEMBER
14 Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Providence, RI, USA
16 Benedum Center PAC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
17 Mershon Auditorium, Columbus, OH, USA
19 Akron Civic Theatre, Akron, OH, USA
21 Proctors, Schenectady, NY, USA
23 Landmark Theatre, Syracuse, NY, USA
25 Shea’s Buffalo Theatre, Buffalo, NY, USA
27 The Anthem, Washington D.C., USA
28 The Anthem, Washington D.C., USA
30 Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, USA
OCTOBER
1 Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, USA
2 Boch Center Wang Theatre, Boston, MA, USA
3 Boch Center Wang Theatre, Boston, MA, USA
4 Boch Center Wang Theatre, Boston, MA, USA
7 Toyota Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, CT, USA
8 Merrill Auditorium at City Hall, Portland, ME, USA
10 Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, USA
11 Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, USA
14 Altria Theater, Richmond, VA, USA
16 The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark, Philadelphia, PA, USA
17 The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark, Philadelphia, PA, USA
18 The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark, Philadelphia, PA, USA
21 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON, Canada
22 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON, Canada
23 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON, Canada
25 Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI, USA
28 The Auditorium, Chicago, IL, USA
29 The Auditorium, Chicago, IL, USA
31 The Auditorium, Chicago, IL, USA
NOVEMBER
1 The Auditorium, Chicago, IL, USA
3 Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN, USA
4 Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN, USA
6 Bellco Theatre, Denver, CO, USA
7 Bellco Theatre, Denver, CO, USA
11 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA, USA
12 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA, USA
13 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA, USA
16 The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, USA
17 The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, USA
18 The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, USA
20 Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, USA
21 Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, USA
25 Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX, USA
26 Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX, USA
28 Music Hall at Fair Park, Dallas, TX, USA
29 Music Hall at Fair Park, Dallas, TX, USA
DECEMBER
2 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA, USA
3 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA, USA
5 Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre, Miami, FL, USA
6 Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre, Miami, FL, USA
JANUARY
14 Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
17 Brisbane Entertainment Center, Brisbane, Australia
21 ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney, Australia
22 Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, Australia
24 Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena, Adelaide, Australia
27 RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
FEBRUARY
12 Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
15 AFAS Live, Amsterdam, Netherlands
16 AFAS Live, Amsterdam, Netherlands
18 Forest National, Brussels, Belgium
21 Teatro degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy
22 Teatro degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy
24 Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt, Germany
26 Rockhal Main Hall, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
27 The Hall, Zurich, Switzerland
MARCH
2 Utilita Arena, Cardiff, UK
3 Eventim Apollo, London, UK
4 Eventim Apollo, London, UK
6 SEC Armadillo, Glasgow, UK
7 SEC Armadillo, Glasgow, UK
9 o2 Apollo, Manchester, UK
10 o2 Apollo, Manchester, UK
11 o2 Apollo, Manchester, UK
13 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
15 Eventim Apollo, London, UK
16 Eventim Apollo, London, UK
18 La Seine Musicale, Paris, France
19 La Seine Musicale, Paris, France
The tracklisting for ‘Who Is the Sky?’ reads: ‘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’
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