Set to release their first album in seven years, the legendary Scottish frontman talks human fears, antithetical recording processes and the essence of audacity.
A conversation with Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand feels like speaking with a wise elder. Dripping with pearls of wisdom, it’s clear you’re in the presence of greatness. With his deliciously soft yet robust Scottish drawl, Kapranos possesses a chameleon-like quality that is so clearly reflected in the band’s music.
Having just arrived in Paris after a long flight from Mexico, Kapranos describes himself as being in a self-described “bubble of the surreal.” Not as familiar with this life as he once was, he’s taking it in stride, returning to it like a duck to water.
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Franz Ferdinand is set to release their new album, The Human Fear, on January 10, 2025. Marking seven years since their last original release, the Scottish rockers took their time crafting this record—something Kapranos is now grateful for.
“It’s just how long it took. A couple years of that were taken up COVID. We also made a greatest hits record and toured that. I had some mixed feelings about the length of time. But it focussed our understanding of what makes the band. It gave the record space to evolve.”
Kapranos believes this evolutionary nature of music is integral to the creative process. With the mind of a maverick and the heart of a poet, when it came time to record the album, he wanted to go against the grain when it was time to write this album.
“Contrary to perception, you discover the album through the process. It all reveals itself. I believe in a body of work. Which goes against the contemporary way of making quick singles. In this process, you end up making so many songs [for a record]. You create a bunch of songs then choose your greatest hits from that. Really, this is a greatest hits album.”
Through this evolutionary journey, Kapranos feels the true art emerges—music that stands the test of time and resonates across generations. After enduring several months of this creative process, the album began to reveal itself to Kapranos and his bandmates, helping them understand their purpose in its creation.
“Towards the end of the album, there’s a song called Hooked. The first line of it is, ‘I’ve got the human fear’. It’s addressing the universality of fear. That’s one of the things that later revealed itself about this album, every song had an element of fear in it.”
A theme he’s long explored, Kapranos wanted to delve into a different kind of fear—one that defines us.
“Fear is in all our lives. It is a universal experience that helps us understand each other and ourselves. All the great things you do in your life have these fears. They all require some degree of overcoming fear. Even asking someone out on a date.”
After creating an exhaustive songbook bursting with songs practically begging to be heard, Kapranos relented. It was time to record.
“A lot of artists go into the studio and jam, but I take a different approach. Before we arrange the song, it needs to be robust. While that seems like an obvious thing to say, it’s not. A lot of people are more concerned with texture. I just thought, fuck the texture.”
When summing up his attitude toward the music industry and life in general, Kapranos considers their new song, “Audacious,” to be particularly fitting.
“We all have existential doubts. Why am I here? Should I be doing this? When those come up, I just think, I’m going to be audacious. It applies to every aspect of life. Do it in the most audacious way you can. Being audacious brings the greatest. It’s the opposite of playing it safe.”
Creating original music is something Kapranos sees as essential to keeping the band alive. “New material defines you as a living band. When you stop making new music, you risk becoming a covers band playing your own songs.”
While the actual Franz Ferdinand may be long gone, it’s clear from my conversation with Kapranos and his unmistakable audacity that this band will continue to thrive for a long time to come.
Franz Ferdinand’s new album, the Human Fear is set to be released on January 10, 2025. You can pre-order it here.
