(Album artwork: provided)
Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand released their latest
album, "The Human Fear," on January 10, 2025. The band formed in
Glasgow in 2002 and has since released several albums, with “The Human Fear”
being their sixth.
Over the years, the band has undergone several lineup
changes. The current lineup features
Alex Kapranos on lead vocals and lead guitar, Bob Hardy on Bass, Julian Corrie
on keyboards, synthesizer, and background vocals, and Dino Bardot on guitar, and
background vocals. This album is Audrey Tait’s first album with the band, playing
drums and percussion
The album was mixed and produced by Mark Ralph. Josh Green
and Gemma Chester were engineers for the album with Anthony Ryan Denton as an
assistant recording engineer and Matt Colton was the mastering engineer. Clara
Luciani provided additional background vocals.
The album consists of 11 songs, totaling just over 35
minutes in playtime. Each song is unique yet still has a sound that screams
“Franz Ferdinand.” The songs are catchy and fun to listen to. The diversity of
the songs on the album really speaks to the incredible musicianship of the
band, especially through so many lineup changes. They are willing to try new
things and not keep playing the same music over and over. They are able to keep
their sound and voice iconic to them, even when experimenting with different
things.
The mixing and audio on the album is spectacular across each
song, which is no easy feat. The instruments have their moments when the vocals
are not present and then return to the background when the vocals are around.
Even the background vocals are well-balanced with the leading vocals. The
different instruments from the synthesizer across the different songs is a
great touch, making each song a little bit different from the one before.
The songs on this album really connect to normal, everyday
people. None of the songs are listed as explicit. They talk about things relating
to the human experience other than love. It is refreshing to hear songs that anyone
can relate to, no matter who they are or their experiences in life. All of the
songs are upbeat and fun, even though the title is about something we all deal
with which is not fun. While it would have been nice to have at least one slower
song, the fast pace of the songs feels like a commentary on the human experience.
We are all “supposed to” keep up with the rapid pace of life, despite the fears
trying to hold us back. This album is an excellent commentary on this and the
overall human experience.
Overall, this album is meant for the normal, everyday person
living their lives and experiencing things as they come. We all experience
regrets, fears, and vulnerability, and these things bring us together and
connect us. In a world that can feel isolated and divisive, this album reminds
us of the things that we can all relate to and that we are not alone in the
darker experiences of life.
“The Human Fear” is out everywhere music is streamed and
downloaded. It was released via Domino Recording Co.
Rating: 9/10 Black Eyelashes