After nearly 50 years of collaboration, the productivity of David Byrne and Brian Eno is something to marvel at. Byrne has been on tour supporting his ninth solo studio album, “Who is the Sky,” which he released in September. And between old Talking Heads hits and his solo work, he has been performing the unreleased track, “T Shirt,” which has finally been put to tape and released.
A fresh release and sound
The song was released through a music video which shows various political or humorous slogans flashing on a T-shirt, such as “We’re all dogs in God’s hot car,” “Human rights are not optional” and “With a body like this, who needs hair?”
The song was co-written with longtime collaborator Brian Eno. The pair first worked together on the Talking Heads album, “More Songs About Buildings and Food” in 1978, with Eno as producer, who stayed on to produce their next two studio releases. The duo has two collaborative albums to their name, “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts” and “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.” And joining on piano is Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes.
The fruits of their labor are a song that is both a strong return to form and full of fresh social commentary and activism. The song wouldn’t sound lost amongst their early work, with thumping, elliptical rhythms and a vintage-sounding synth backing. But the sound itself doesn’t really challenge the listener in the manner we would expect from the pair. Instead, the album pushes the envelope socially, reflecting the pair’s activism.
Political overtones and social undertones
Eno has been outspoken about the climate crisis and the situation in Palestine, saying, “In the face of the horrors of Gaza, silence becomes complicity. Artists point out injustice and imagine better futures.” He’s put this into practice, organizing the Together For Palestine benefit show in September, and founding the Hard Art Collective. Byrne’s activism centers on encouraging civic engagement and local action, seen through his online magazine, “Reasons to be Cheerful.” The goal is to publish stories about positive news alongside solutions.
Within the song and music video there are two messages. The first is directed towards people who are helping others and donating to worthy causes, the people who wear message shirts with “no pretension, no deep intent.” The other message is purely optimistic and encouraging, “be kind to each other” and “with a body like this who needs hair.”
They comment on how absurd it is that this is often the only way we have to communicate these ideas to one another. “Look at my shirt, my love, it’s the only way I can talk to you.” Wearing political T-shirts and posting on your Instagram story doesn’t open up meaningful dialogue or force great change. But it does make those who share this fight with you, and those who are marginalized, feel more comfortable around you.
Byrne and Eno masterfully show that music can hold conflicting ideas simultaneously with this track. While it doesn’t feel like the two are covering new ground sonically, it is a delight to listen to. In these times, it is comforting to hear new commentary and activism come through a vintage sound.