Who Is the Sky? is a studio album by American rock musician David Byrne with the New York City-based musical ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, being their ninth and sixth studio album respectively. The album was released on September 5, 2025, by Matador Records.

Recording David Byrne began working on Who is the Sky? in the years following the conclusion of his American Utopia era, which included a successful Broadway run and a Spike Lee–directed HBO special. Reflecting on his creative process, Byrne said, "At my age, at least for me, there's a 'don't give a shit about what people think' attitude that kicks in. 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". He described each song as "a new adventure", often beginning with simple acoustic demos and looped beats.

As Byrne accumulated a stockpile of rudimentary songs, he envisioned the emotional core of the material being brought out through orchestral arrangements. "I suspected that intimate orchestral arrangements would bring out the emotion I sense is there in these songs", he explained, citing the desire to balance personal reflection with accessibility. To achieve this, Byrne collaborated with music producer Kid Harpoon, whom he credited with helping convey his unique artistic vision.

The album features contributions from Ghost Train Orchestra, as well as guest appearances by St. Vincent, Hayley Williams of Paramore, and Tom Skinner of the Smile. Speaking about the album's lead single, "Everybody Laughs", Byrne said, "Someone I know said, 'David, you use the word "everybody" a lot'. 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". Kid Harpoon added, "These songs are personal, but with David's unique perspective on life in general... He gets the absurdity of it all".

Tour Along with the album announcement and first single, David Byrne announced the Who Is the Sky? Tour on June 11, 2025, spread across 2025 and 2026. The 2025 dates are primarily focused on the US with a three-day stop in Canada, whereas the 2026 dates tours Australasia, Europe, and the UK. While Byrne has performed in the US extensively with his residency at St. James Theatre, this is the first time he has performed in Australasia and Europe since the American Utopia Tour in 2018. The tour uses 13 musicians, singers, and dancers – some from the American Utopia Tour – to achieve a show that "blends visual art, storytelling, and music into one compelling live performance".

In August 2026, Byrne announced the performances in his hometown of Baltimore had been recorded for a concert film, also titled Who Is The Sky?, directed by Brady Corbet.

Track listing

Personnel Credits adapted from Tidal.

David Byrne and Ghost Train Orchestra

David Byrne – lead vocals (all tracks), acoustic guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 11), programming (2, 5–7, 10, 11), synthesizer (3), electric guitar (9, 12) Matt Bauder – saxophone (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10), tenor saxophone (3, 12), guitar (5), bass clarinet (8, 9, 11) Emily Bookwalter – violin Brian Carpenter – trumpet Ron Caswell – tuba (1, 3, 4, 6–12) Sara Caswell – violin David Cossin – marimba (1, 3, 10–12), percussion (4, 5, 9), vibraphone (6), congas (7), glockenspiel (8) Curtis Hasselbring – trombone Katie Kresek – viola Andy Laster – alto saxophone (1, 2, 4, 6–12), tenor saxophone (5) Dennis Lichtman – clarinet Chris Lightcap – bass guitar (1–4, 8, 10–12), acoustic bass guitar (5–7) Ginevra Petrucci – flute (1, 3, 4, 10) Mauro Refosco – percussion (1, 3, 5, 7, 12) Sara Schoenbeck – bassoon Brandon Seabrook – electric guitar (1–3, 5, 7–12) Tom Skinner – djembe (1), drums (2–4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12), percussion (5) Alex Waterman – cello

Additional contributors Kid Harpoon – production (all tracks), programming (1–9, 11, 12), synthesizer (1, 2, 12), drums (3), acoustic guitar (4, 8, 10), bass guitar (6, 7, 9), percussion (11) Brian Rajaratnam – engineering (all tracks), piano (11) Spike Stent – mixing Emily Lazar – mastering Annie Clark – vocals (1) Emi Trevena – keyboards (3), electric guitar (8) Rebecca El Saleh – concert harp (4) Rob Garcia – drums (5, 11), snare drum (10) Hayley Williams – vocals (5) Alex Soppp – flute (6, 8)

Charts

Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Who Is the Sky? Chart (2025) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 18 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) 11 Croatian International Albums (HDU) 1 German Pop Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 8 Irish Albums (IRMA) 76 Irish Independent Albums (IRMA) Note: Select 12-Sep-25 on the date selector. 10 Japanese Rock Albums (Oricon) 11 Japanese Top Albums Sales (Billboard Japan) 52 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 17 Portuguese Albums (AFP) 75 Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 16 US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard) 41

Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for Who Is the Sky? Chart (2025) Position Croatian International Albums (HDU) 3

Release history +Release history and formats for Who Is the Sky?RegionDateFormatLabelVariousSeptember 5, 2025Matador RecordsUnited States

References

External links