Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear review

It has to be said that the generation of indie bands which emerged at the beginning of the noughties didn’t appear to have much longevity in them, but Franz Ferdinand always had an aloofness and self possession which convinced you they’d be able to stick around.

And so we have The Human Fear, their first album since 2018’s Always Ascending and one on according Alex Kapranos says they’ve learned to love themselves and grasp the nettle of the increasingly messed up thing called life. As the title infers, the record consists of a number of vignettes about shrugging off the unknown, although musically the quintet are mostly on trusted ground.

They’re good at what they do, too; opener Audacious comes loaded with plenty of familiar motifs whilst offering encouragement to make a gin and tonic if you end up served with a bunch of lemons, whilst The Birds, daydreamer and Bar Lonely all mine their well thumbed brand of urbane post punk. Lovers of going off reservation will be interested in the deliciously kitsch Black Eyelashes and the breezy retro of Tell Me I Should Stay, but evidently for Kapranos conquering The Human Fear of the title is in reality being comfortable enough to just be yourself.

You can read a full review here.