David Byrne has announced his forthcoming solo record, American Utopia.
American Utopia will be released March 9, 2018 via Todomundo/Nonesuch Records, accompanied by a world tour that will bring a concert that Byrne has called “the most ambitious show I’ve done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense.”
The album track ‘Everybody’s Coming To My House’ — co-written with Brian Eno, featuring contributions from TTY, Happa Isaiah Barr (Onyx Collective), Mercury Prize winner Sampha, and others—has also been released.
American Utopia fits hand-in-hand with Byrne’s vision for his series “Reasons To Be Cheerful,” named after the song by the late Ian Dury.
Over the last year, Byrne has been collecting stories, news, ideas, and other items that all either embody or identify examples of things that inspire optimism, such as a tech breakthrough, a musical act, a new idea in urban planning or transportation—something seen, heard, or tasted. Just as the album questions the current state of society while offering solace through song, the content of the series recognizes the darkness and complexity of today while showcasing alternatives to the despair that threatens us.
Speaking about the album, Byrne said: “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.”
AMERICAN UTOPIA morphed during the writing and recording process, beginning with longtime collaborator Eno, and eventually growing to include collaboration with producer Rodaidh McDonald (The xx, King Krule, Sampha, Savages) alongside a diverse cast of creative contributors including Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never), Jam City, Thomas Bartlett (St. Vincent producer, aka Doveman), Jack Peñate, and others.
Pre-order AMERICAN UTOPIA here: https://WMNZ.lnk.to/dbamericanutopiaPR