Franz Ferdinand have announced details of their new studio album The Human Fear which will be released on Friday, January 10th 2025 on Domino. 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. Along with the announcement comes the music video for first single “Audacious.”
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “AUDACIOUS” HERE
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.
Talking about the album, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand said:
“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 video for first single “Audacious” was directed by long-time Franz collaborator Andy Knowles and filmed at Barrowlands in Glasgow, over the years scene of many a celebratory homecoming gig for the band. Talking about the track Alex added:
“It’s about having an audacious response when you feel the fabric of existence come undone around you. Being bold, contrary. Peering over the edge into the eternity of non-existence and saying Aye! Fuck it! Not today thank you!”
Director Andy Knowles said about the video:
“After listening to “Audacious” for the first time it immediately felt like a song which needed a celebration of a video. I wanted to build on the jocular approach we took for ‘Curious’ in 2022, contrasting some of the more somber moments of life with an explosion of fun when you look at things through an ‘audacious’ lens.”
Ever since their beginnings, throwing illegal parties in condemned Glasgow buildings, Franz Ferdinand have been defined by a fresh, unfading, forward-facing outlook, a transgressive art-school perspective, but with a love of a big song and The Human Fear undoubtedly continues in this tradition; distinct yet new, musically, and creatively it’s a record eager to push forward.
Pretty much all written before they hit the studio, the idea was to have a songbook ready before they started recording and once in the studio it was all quickly executed – a lot of it recorded live with the band in the room and many of the vocals on the album being the original takes.
The first studio album to feature members Audrey Tait (drums) and Dino Bardot (guitar), the record also sees Julian Corrie step forward to collaborate with frontman Alex Kapranos and bassist Bob Hardy on songwriting and creative duties.
A band for whom the aesthetic and style is almost as important as the sound, as ever the importance of this is reflected in the cover artwork which was inspired by Hungarian artist Dóra Maurer’s self-portrait 7 Twists – Maurer’s work appealed because it does exactly what they want from their music: a striking immediacy that is impossible to ignore, but with a depth and vulnerability that bears many returns and satisfactory repetition.
Maybe this is a set of songs about fear, maybe this is a set of bangers from an era-defining band continuing their unquestionably living legacy. Is that something to be afraid of?
The track listing of the album is as follows:
1. Audacious
2. Everyday Dreamer
3. The Doctor
4. Hooked
5. Build It Up
6. Night Or Day
7. Tell Me I Should Stay
8. Cats
9. Black Eyelashes
10. Bar Lonely
11. The Birds
The Human Fear will be available on LP, Deluxe LP, CD and Digital and can be pre-ordered HERE.
The Human Fear will be available on Deluxe LP, LP, CD and cassette. The Deluxe LP is housed in a gatefold sleeve, printed on a matte UV finish, with an 8 page lyric booklet featuring exclusive imagery of the band recording the album in AYR Studios, Scotland. The vinyl itself is pressed on orange BioVinyl which is 100% recyclable and can be utilized in the circular economy. The exclusive Demo LP features never-before heard early demos of the album.
The band also have also announced details of a short run of U.K / EU headline shows in the early part of 2025, before which they head to South America for a headline arena tour and a number of Mexican dates alongside The Killers. The full list of shows is as follows:
September 26, 2024 – Spa Pavilion – STRATHPEFFER – SOLD OUT
September 27, 2024 – Albert Halls – STIRLING – SOLD OUT
September 28, 2024 – The Venue – DUMFRIES – SOLD OUT
October 3, 2024– Estadio 3 de Marzo – GUADALAJARA *
October 5, 2024 – Foro Sol – MEXICO CITY *
October 6, 2024 – For Sol – MEXICO CITY *
October 9, 2024– Estadio Banorte – MONTERREY *
October 12, 2024 – Festival Pulso – QUERTARO, MEXICO
November 7, 2024 – Explanada del Parque de la Exposicion – LIMA
November 9, 2024 – Fauna Primavera – SANTIAGO
November 12, 2024 – Estadio Obras – BUENOS AIRES
November 14, 2024 – Tokio Marine Hall – SÃO PAULO
November 16, 2024 – Gran Carpal – BOGOTA
November 17, 2024 – Orquideorama – MEDELLIN
February 14, 2025 – Aula Magna – LISBON
February 15, 2025 – Sala Pelican – A CORUNA
February 17, 2025 – La Riviera – MADRID
February 18, 2025 – Razzmatazz – BARCELONA
February 20, 2025 – Fabrique – MILAN
February 21, 2025 – X-Tra – ZURICH
February 22, 2025 – Muffathalle – MUNICH
February 24, 2025 – Huxleys Neue Welt – BERLIN
February 25, 2025 – Progresja – WARSAW
February 27, 2025 – La Cigale – PARIS
February 28, 2025 – Die Kantine – COLOGNE
March 1, 2025 – De Roma – ANTWERP
March 3, 2025 – Paradiso – AMSTERDAM
March 5, 2025 – Shepherds Bush Empire – LONDON
March 7, 2025 – Barrowlands – GLASGOW
*with The Killers
Tickets for the U.K dates go on fan pre-sale at 10am September 19th and general sale 10am September 20th via www.franzferdinand.com
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Franz Ferdinand signed to Domino in May 2003 and released their first single, “Darts Of Pleasure” shortly after. Second single, “Take Me Out” exploded onto the international stage, putting the band firmly on the global map and was a precursor to their eponymous debut album which went on to sell over 5 million copies worldwide.
Artistically always forging forward, their following albums, You Could Have It So Much Better (2005), Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009), Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (2013) and Always Ascending (2018) all offered a new take on the Franz template and saw them work with some of the most pioneering producers around including Dan Carey, Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, Todd Terje and Philippe Zdar.
Their music continues to resonate globally and over the course of nearly two decades they’ve become, commercially and critically, one of the biggest UK bands globally, selling over 10 million albums, 2.5 billion streams to date, 14 platinum albums, winning GRAMMY-equivalent BRIT Awards, Ivor Novello songwriting awards & the esteemed Mercury Music Prize – along with multiple GRAMMY nominations – and selling 6 million tickets for their incendiary live show worldwide which have included headline slots at festivals such as Reading & Leeds, Rock En Seine, Primavera and All Points East. A greatest hits compilation Hits To The Head, released in 2022, was a potent reminder of how universal and loved many of their songs have been.
Discography: Franz Ferdinand (2004), You Could Have It So Much Better (2005), Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009), Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (2013), Always Ascending (2018), Hits To The Head (2022).
Franz Ferdinand are: Alex Kapranos (vocals / guitar), Audrey Tait (drums), Bob Hardy (bass), Dino Bardot (guitar, backing vocals) & Julian Corrie (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals).
