At 65, David Byrne gets off his bike (his ultimate passion) to release his first solo album in fourteen years. Co-written with his old accomplice Brian Eno, with whom he began working with in the Talking Heads era, American Utopia is a patchwork which only Byrne has the secret to. Crossing genres, fusing continents and breaking down stylistic boundaries, the former Rhode Island School of Design student has always had this sort of thing in his blood. After doing punk funk, salsa, electro collage, records with people as diverse as Fatboy Slim and Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent), film music, ballet music and about a thousand other things, here he returns to a more classic song format.
Byrne returns to the essence of pop and his compositions are laced with electro, world or funk, often flirting with his old group's material. With his pen still sharp and quirky, David Byrne wants to believe that an America different to that of Donald Trump's is possible. Helped here and there by some "young people" like Sampha, TTY and Happa Isaiah Barr of Onyx Collective, he has released his most successful solo album for years. This is the work of contemporary pop icon that has taken the time to reflect on his career, his music and his relationship with the world in order to get himself back in the game. © Marc Zisman / Qobuz