Franz Ferdinand : The Human Fear

Franz Ferdinand The Human Fear review

Inflate the balloons and prime the noisemakers, for Alex Kapranos and his band, Franz Ferdinand, are back with a fun-loving vengeance seven years after 2018’s Always Ascending, ending the longest between-album hiatus of their careers. This isn’t the space to recap all that Kapranos and his mates have occupied themselves with in recent years, but this lyric in “Everydaydreamer” provides a typical example of what goes on in his mind: “I just need time/ To let my mind/ Relax.”

After a hiatus, the Glasgow group have done just that with The Human Fear, and they’re teaching us what they’ve learned during that break. As on display with “Audacious,” Franz Ferdinand reintroduce themselves as a band bristling with a childlike approach to rediscovering their musical strengths while bringing to the table the perspicaciousness that only veteran artists can. The record’s strongest asset is the ease with which the band executes songs like that aforementioned first single, the finding-home-in-despair reassurance Franz Ferdinand bring to “Built It Up” and even the breezy pop composition “Bar Lonely.”

After introducing themselves in 2004 with their self-titled debut, the svelte quintet were a cheeky breath of fresh air. Franz Ferdinand made it look easy, scraping off the dreariness of indie rock like barnacles from the hull of the ship. And now we arrive at The Human Fear, the first and only Franz Ferdinand record to not feature original member Paul Thomson (drums, percussion, occasional backing and occasional lead vocals), and the second on which Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards, synths) is absent. That leaves just Kapranos and bassist/percussionist Bob Hardy. Given that the configuration is only half what it used to be, Kapranos and Hardy—and the other three musicians who entered the fold starting in 2017—would have benefited from reestablishing this configuration of Franz Ferdinand with a new name.

With their earlier records, Franz Ferdinand wrote and performed valiant new wave songs that reminded us of the genre’s value but rocked hard in their own right. This time around, the band appears less on a mission to establish its identity but rather reevaluate and even deconstruct it. Julian Corrie tampers with synthesizers and Audrey Tait with percussion like kids sifting through a wooden crate of toys, particularly on “The Doctor,” “Hooked” and “ Black Eyelashes.”

For those who didn’t experience the cultural ubiquity of the group’s debut firsthand, The Human Fear isn’t the ideal starting place for delving into Franz Ferndinand’s dynasty; their sophomore album (2005’s You Could Have It So Much Better) is your golden ticket. But for those who got sucked into the Franz phenomenon earlier this century, this is an admirable return and proof—thanks to the band’s continued explorations and experimentations—that it’s still worth keeping tabs on them.


Label: Domino

Year: 2025


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