Scottish indie rockers Franz Ferdinand have announced the release of their long-awaited sixth studio album ‘The Human Fear‘.
The announcement comes with the release of new single “Audacious” and its accompanying video. The follow-up to 2018’s Always Ascending, will be out 10th January 2025 via Domino Record Co. Pre-order your copy here.
Produced with Mark Ralph, who previously worked with them on their 2013 album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, the album showcases Franz at their most immediate, upbeat and life-affirming, unashamedly going for the pop-jugular in classic Franz style. Recorded at AYR studios in Scotland, the 11-songs on The Human Fear all allude to some deep-set human fears and how overcoming and accepting these fears drives and defines our lives.
Discussing the release, frontman Alex Kapranos says:
“Making this record was one of the most life-affirming experiences I’ve had, but it’s called The Human Fear. Fear reminds you that you’re alive. I think we all are addicted in some way to the buzz it can give us. How we respond to it shows how we are human. So here’s a bunch of songs searching for the thrill of being human via fears. Not that you’d necessarily notice on first listen.”
The lead single speaks to that energy, bouncing between bursts of Brian Wilson-esque baroque pop, guitar-led indie grooves, and anthemic, Queen-like choruses, all underneath lyrics calling to embrace life. “It’s about having an audacious response when you feel the fabric of existence come undone around you,” Kapranos said. “Being bold, contrary. Peering over the edge into the eternity of non-existence and saying ‘Aye! Fuck it! Not today thank you!’”
Check out “Audacious” below, followed by the album’s artwork and tracklist.
Franz Ferdinand “The Human Fear” Tracklisting:
- Audacious
- Everydaydreamer
- The Doctor
- Hooked
- Build It Up
- Night Or Day
- Tell Me I Should Stay
- Cats
- Black Eyelashes
- Bar Lonely
- The Birds
Photo courtesy of the band
