FRANZ FERDINAND - THE HUMAN FEAR

Released 10/1/2025 Truth be told, trying to pander to ever-shifting musical trends would be far more suspect than the band tuning them out and following its own creative instincts, which is what Franz Ferdinand do on The Human Fear. The core elements of their sound haven’t changed: dance-y backbeats, serrated guitar lines and Kapranos’ distinctive, slightly louche voice. What’s different here is what the musicians do with them. For starters, the energy is less amphetamine-frenetic on these 11 songs, which are sleek but not quite so sweaty as some of the band’s dashes through jittery riffs and relentless drums on earlier efforts.