The album was produced by Grammy-winning producer Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus). Arrangements for the twelve tracks were handled by members of the New York-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra.
His first album since 2018's Grammy-nominated "American Utopia," the record features a wide range of guests, from longtime collaborators to new musical friends, including St. Vincent, Paramore's Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner, and percussionist Mauro Refosco, who also appeared on "American Utopia."
In 2023, as the "American Utopia" era—which began as an album tour and grew into an acclaimed Broadway run and then a Spike Lee-directed HBO film—drew to a close, he began little by little to jot down grooves, chords and fragments of melody for the first time in a while. The three years just prior had been full of upheaval, and during that time he had also been stockpiling lyrical ideas and phrases. "I realized that when it comes time to actually start making something, it's easier to begin if you have a bit of material saved up. And before I knew it, I had quite a lot. Very simple songs started to emerge, little by little—me playing acoustic guitar and singing over loops and beats." With the world, and the Broadway run of "American Utopia," forced to a halt, he, like so many others, found himself with time to ask questions. "Is what I'm doing really what I love? Why am I writing songs? Why am I doing this job? Is there any meaning in it at all?"
"Who Is The Sky?" is packed with his own answers to those weighty questions, and the record further develops the "optimistic themes" laid out so clearly in "American Utopia," its tour, and the Grammy-winning Broadway show and film. Through this work he continues to pursue human connection and the possibility of social solidarity in a chaotic world. "Who Is The Sky?" is deeply cinematic, funny and full of joy, while often carrying a message as well: "love can't be explained," "enlightenment means something different to everyone," and "whether or not your skin looks like a baby's the next morning, you're better off moisturizing." Above all, the album once again highlights David Byrne's rare gift for balancing the avant-garde and pop accessibility on a knife's edge.
According to Byrne, "Who Is The Sky?" contains "more 'story songs' than ever before." Each is structured like a "mini-story drawn from personal experience," such as:
"She Explains Things to Me" (why is it all so obvious to her?)
"A Door Called No" (a kiss he receives mysteriously opens that door)
"My Apartment Is My Friend" (I've shown it my worst / and we're still always close)
"I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party" (a scene at a party where a former spiritual leader is more interested in unhealthy desserts than in being deified), and more.
A self-professed stickler for grooves, David Byrne welcomed late-stage contributions from Tom Skinner and from Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco, with whom he has recorded and toured for over 30 years. Mixed by Mark "Spike" Stent and mastered by Emily Lazar, the finished record, in his own words, "contains both concealment and exposure." "This album is also a chance to become the 'mythical being' that everyone holds inside, a chance to step out of reality and into another world. In other words, it's an attempt to transcend and escape the prison of the 'self.'" That concept runs strongly through the entire packaging of "Who Is The Sky?" The artwork was created by Shira Inbar, with David Byrne all but obscured by radiating color patterns and a psychedelic, thorn-like costume by Belgian artist Tom Van der Borght. A "Who Is The Sky?" tour is planned for later this year, with a 13-piece band (musicians, singers and dancers) including members of "American Utopia," all moving freely around the stage.
*From the label information