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Franz Ferdinand - The Human Fear (Album Review)

Friday, 10 January 2025 Written by Chris Connor

It has been a while since Franz Ferdinand became one of the biggest indie success stories in the UK off the back of a few indelible hits, and don’t they know it. The Glasgow band’s first studio album in seven years, ‘The Human Fear’, offers a return of sorts to the sound of their early work, but shown through a prism of everything the intervening period has taught them.

Initially built around a piano line before letting loose its guitars, Night or Day feels closest in spirit to their breakout material. It looks in some ways to be an older sibling to their smash hit Take Me Out, while cannily incorporating elements that the group has brought into their arsenal since the early ‘00s to ensure it’s more than simply a copy. 

Everydaydreamer is another song that shows the varied textures at their disposal, drawing upon the electronic palette they tinkered with on 2018’s ‘Always Ascending’. It’s more obviously pop than usual, but it shows musicians still content to flex their creative muscles after more than 20 years together. 

Something equally striking after all this time is Alex Kapranos’ voice. Now in his 50s, the frontman is in fine form across the record, particularly on the lead single Audacious. Released in September of last year, it brings a sense of familiarity with a jangly guitar riff before Kapranos builds towards an anthemic chorus — it’s easy to picture it delivering a huge singalong live. 

Elsewhere, The Doctor offers a sharp jolt of energy at two minutes 20 seconds and it's hard not to get swept along in its grooves. Hooked, too, dives deeper into synthetic territory, coming close to some of Muse’s later output. Again, it’s refreshing to see Franz Ferdinand continuing to push themselves, an aspect that reaches its peak with Tell Me I Should Stay, which stands entirely in contrast to the rest of the record.

Possessing a more subdued tempo and built heavily around the piano, it brings in additional sonic swatches that explode during a thunderous middle section. As well as being one of its most adventurous, it is one of the strongest tracks on ‘The Human Fear’, displaying a different side to Franz Ferdinand but one that suits their sound perfectly.

This is a welcome return from a great band and while they miss with a couple of big swings, at its best ‘The Human Fear’ shows why Franz Ferdinand hit such lofty heights in the first place. Equally, it’s gold-plated evidence that there’s still plenty of life in the old dog yet.

Franz Ferdinand Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:

Thu January 09 2025 - KINGSTON UPON THAMES PRYZM
Fri January 10 2025 - BEXHILL ON SEA De La Warr Pavilion
Sat January 11 2025 - LIVERPOOL Grand Central Hall - Complex
Sun January 12 2025 - EDINBURGH Assai
Wed March 05 2025 - LONDON O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Thu March 06 2025 - LONDON O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Fri March 07 2025 - GLASGOW Barrowland
Wed August 13 2025 - GLASGOW SWG3

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