Q&A: Franz Ferdinand discuss their new album, the resurgence of 2000s indie and Charli XCX
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Two decades ago, the Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand sent a jolt across the music world. They waltzed in stripped-shirts and quickly became global icons for their deliriously hooky songs, hitting a critical mass in the chant-along singles “Take Me Out” and “Do You Want To.” A lot has changed in that time, but the band never wavered in their dedication to 2000s indie ebullience. Over the last few years there's been a bit of an indie music resurgence, but for Franz Ferdinand, it never went away.
On Friday, they will release "The Human Fear,'' their sixth studio album and the first in seven years, making the end of the longest break between full lengths in their career. Frontman Alex Kapranos says the album tackles relationships forming and breaking down. “The title is a clue to the scene,” he teases. “But it wasn’t written to the theme, at least not consciously.”.
In an interview with The Associated Press in London, Kapranos and Franz Ferdinand bassist Bob Hardy discussed about “The Human Fear,” the resurgence of indie music and the band's love for Chappell Roan and Charli XCX. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
AP: What is the story behind “The Human Fear”?. KAPRANOS: The last song that was written, the last lyrics that were written was (for) the song “Hooked.” It starts off with the line, “I’ve got the fear / I’ve got the human fear.” And I realize that so many of the songs had an underlying theme of fear to them. But not necessarily succumbing to fear, but more like overcoming fear.
