As soon as you saw David Byrne’s name in the lineup for this year’s Coachella festival, you had to expect that the Talking Head frontman would be unveiling a new musical project in 2018. Today, Byrne has lifted the veil of mystery, announcing a brand new solo album titled American Utopia. Though he’s released projects with St. Vincent and Brian Eno over the last decade, this is his first proper solo album in 14 years.
Addressing the album’s title in a press release, Byrne preemptively asked many of the question it will no doubt raise, “Is this meant ironically? Is it a joke? Do I mean this seriously? In what way? Am I referring to the past or the future? Is it personal or political?” His answer? “These songs don’t describe an imaginary or possibly impossible place but rather attempt to depict the world we live in now. Many of us, I suspect, are not satisfied with that world—the world we have made for ourselves. We look around and we ask ourselves—well, does it have to be like this? Is there another way? These songs are about that looking and that asking.”
Though American Utopia is a solo project, it does feature a number of superstar collaborators. The song “Everybody’s Coming To My House” features not just his close friend and ambient wizard Brian Eno, but also the up and coming British singer-songrwriter extraordinaire, Sampha.
Check out the tracklist and art work for American Utopia below.
1. “I Dance Like This”
2. “Gasoline And Dirty Sheets”
3. “Every Day Is A Miracle”
4. “Dog’s Mind”
5. “This Is That”
6. “It’s Not Dark Up Here”
7. “Bullet”
8. “Doing The Right Thing”
9. “Everybody’s Coming To My House”
10. “Here”
