Franz Ferdinand will return with their first album in seven years, The Human Fear, on January 10, 2025. Reuniting with Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action producer Mark Ralph, the band recorded the Always Ascending follow-up at AYR studios in Scotland. An Andy Knowles–directed video for “Audacious” leads the record. Watch that below.
In a press release, Alex Kapranos said of the song, “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!”
Of the album, he added, “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 Human Fear, released via Domino, is the first Franz Ferdinand album to feature drummer Audrey Tait and guitarist Dino Bardot. Songwriter Julian Corrie teamed up with Kapranos and Bob Hardy on songwriting duties. The new lineup will tour Europe early next year.