The Human Fear

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The Human Fear
Franz Ferdinand - The Human Fear cover art.jpg
Studio album by
Franz Ferdinand
Released10 January 2025 (2025-1-10)
StudioAYR (Scotland)
Length35:15
Label Domino
Producer Mark Ralph
Franz Ferdinand chronology
Hits to the Head
(2022)		The Human Fear
(2025)
Singles from The Human Fear
  1. "Audacious"
    Released: 11 September 2024
  2. "Night or Day"
    Released: 18 November 2024
  3. "Hooked"
    Released: 6 January 2025

The Human Fear is the sixth studio album by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, released on 10 January 2025 through Domino. Produced by Mark Ralph, it is the band's first full studio album to feature guitarist Dino Bardot, who joined the band after the recording of 2018's Always Ascending , and drummer Audrey Tait, who replaced original member Paul Thomson in 2021.

Contents

Preceded by the singles, "Audacious", "Night or Day" and "Hooked", the album reached number three on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the Scottish Albums Chart.

Production and composition

The Human Fear was recorded at AYR Studios in Scotland and produced by Mark Ralph, who previously served as a mixer and recording engineer on the band's fourth studio album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (2013). [1] The album's title refers to the album's primary lyrical concept of fear and "searching for the thrill of being human via fears", as described by band frontman Alex Kapranos. [1] Kapranos further states that the album touches upon certain types of specific fear, including "fear of social isolation, fear of leaving an institution, [and] fear of leaving or staying in a relationship". [2]

Promotion and release

The band announced on 9 September 2024 that they would be releasing a new song, titled "Audacious", on 11 September. The following day, fans discovered a store listing for The Human Fear, a new studio album from the band. [3] Alongside the release of "Audacious", the band confirmed that The Human Fear would be their sixth studio album, to be released on 10 January 2025 through Domino. [2]

The editions of the album included additional LP of album demos. [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.8/10 [5]
Metacritic 72/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Clash 7/10 [8]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [9]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Paste 7.2/10 [14]
Pitchfork 6.3/10 [15]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]

According to review aggregator Metacritic, The Human Fear received "generally favourable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 from 17 critic scores. [6]

Robin Murray of Clash gave the album seven out of ten, noting "A band blessed with an innate pop touch, there’s a fantastic degree of immediacy on show here. Lead single ‘Audacious’ is a preening slice of Franz-pop with an arch Alex Kapranos vocal, while the tumbling piano line on ‘Night Or Day’ points to the influence of one-time collaborators Sparks in its daring wit." and concluded "Fun, lean, and concise, ‘The Human Fear’ finds Franz Ferdinand looking to the future without any need to panic." [18]

Track listing

Note: On vinyl pressings, the placement of "Bar Lonely" and "Tell Me I Should Stay" is reversed.

All tracks are written by Alex Kapranos, except where noted.

The Human Fear track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Audacious" 3:23
2."Everydaydreamer"
3:12
3."The Doctor"
2:20
4."Hooked"
  • Kapranos
  • Corrie
2:41
5."Build It Up"
  • Kapranos
  • Corrie
3:03
6."Night or Day" 3:21
7."Tell Me I Should Stay" 4:45
8."Cats" 3:17
9."Black Eyelashes" 2:52
10."Bar Lonely"
3:05
11."The Birds" 3:16
Total length:35:15
Bonus 12" Demo LP track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Audacious" (1st Phone Recording) 
2."Dr Dr" 
3."Back On The Outside" 
4."Every Day" 
5."Love Song 140bpm" 
6."Every Day Dreamer 4" 
7."Curious" 
8."Audacious Riffs 1 & 2" 
9."Build It Up avec Antoine et Pierre" 
10."Bar Lonely" 
11."Every Day" (Acoustic Demo) 
12."Black Eyelashes" 
13."Audacious" (String arr. 1st Sketch) 
14."The Birds" 
15."Dumb Korg" 
16."Billy Goodbye" 

Personnel

Franz Ferdinand

Additional contributors

Charts

Chart performance for The Human Fear
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [19] 6
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [20] 33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [21] 17
Croatian International Albums (HDU) [22] 1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [23] 31
French Albums (SNEP) [24] 29
French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) [25] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [26] 11
Italian Albums (FIMI) [27] 84
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [28] 31
Polish Albums (ZPAV) [29] 7
Scottish Albums (OCC) [30] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [31] 31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [32] 6
UK Albums (OCC) [33] 3
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [34] 1
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [35] 40

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Franz Ferdinand announce new album 'The Human Fear'". Domino Recording Company . 11 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 Trendell, Andrew (11 September 2024). "Franz Ferdinand return with 'Audacious' and tell us about new album The Human Fear". NME . Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  3. ↑ Lapierre, Megan (11 September 2024). "Franz Ferdinand Announce New Album The Human Fear". Exclaim! . Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "Franz Ferdinand - The Human Fear - Exclusive Limited Double LP". dominomusic.com. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "The Human Fear by Franz Ferdinand reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  6. 1 2 "The Human Fear by Franz Ferdinand". Metacritic . Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  7. ↑ Phares, Heather. "The Human Fear - Franz Ferdinand". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  8. ↑ Murray, Robin (9 January 2025). "Franz Ferdinand - The Human Fear". Clash . Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  9. ↑ Goggins, Joe (8 January 2025). "Franz Ferdinand - The Human Fear". DIY . Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  10. ↑ Aroesti, Rachel (3 January 2025). "Franz Ferdinand: The Human Fear review – stiffness sets in on stodgy sixth". The Guardian . Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  11. ↑ "Franz Ferdinand - The Human Fear". Mojo . February 2025. p. 88.
  12. ↑ Trendell, Andrew (10 January 2025). "Franz Ferdinand – 'The Human Fear' review: art-rock icons prove they can still take you out". NME . Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  13. ↑ Mongredien, Phil (10 January 2025). "Franz Ferdinand: The Human Fear review – more revitalisation than reinvention". The Observer . Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Danton, Eric R. (10 January 2025). "Franz Ferdinand Push Boundaries on The Human Fear". Paste . Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  15. ↑ Schonfeld, Zach (10 January 2025). "Franz Ferdinand: The Human Fear". Pitchfork . Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  16. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (11 January 2025). "Franz Ferdinand Deliver Snazzy Return to Form with 'The Human Fear'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  17. ↑ "Franz Ferdinand Frustrate and Dazzle With 'The Human Fear'". PopMatters . 5 February 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  18. ↑ Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; Murray, Robin (9 January 2025). "Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear | Reviews". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 16 February 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  20. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  21. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  22. ↑ "Lista prodaje 3. tjedan 2025" (in Croatian). HDU. 13 January 2025. Archived from the original on 29 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  23. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  24. ↑ "Top Albums (Semaine du 17 Janvier 2025)". SNEP . Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  25. ↑ "Top Albums".
  26. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  27. ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 3 (dal 10.01.2025 al 16.01.2025)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  28. ↑ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2025-01-20/p/4" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  29. ↑ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 10.01.2025–16.01.2025 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  30. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  31. ↑ "Top 100 Albums – Week 3". El Portal de Música. Productores de Música de España . Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  32. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  33. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  34. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  35. ↑ "Franz Ferdinand Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
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