David Byrne releases new track ‘The Avant Garde’

Musical icon David Byrne has shared another preview of his forthcoming new album ‘Who Is The Sky?’, in the form of ‘The Avant Garde’. 

Speaking about his latest track, David has said: “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.”

The song gets lifted from his forthcoming eleventh solo album - the follow-up to his 2018 release ‘American Utopia’ - ahead of its release on 5th September via Matador Records. Produced by Grammy-winner Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus), ‘Who Is The Sky?’ will see David build on the themes explored in ‘American Utopia’ - not to mention its Broadway show and subsequent film - to look at human connection and the modern world via a brilliantly left-field, avant-pop lens. What’s more, it features a host of other collaborators including St Vincent, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, and The Smile’s Tom Skinner - as well as NYC-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, by whom the LP’s 12 tracks were arranged.

Listen to ‘The Avant Garde’ below.