Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Ali Welford reviews the first release from Franz Ferdinand in eight years
Domino
Released: 10.01.25
It’s been a while – eight years in fact – since Franz Ferdinand’s last studio album. Truthfully, for much of 2018’s Always Ascending, the Scots resembled a group who could use that length of break. This sixth effort, however, is not only a return to form, but a refreshing counter to the sexless successors who’ve populated the post-punk sphere in their absence.
To label The Human Fear a simple ‘back-to-basics’ would be uncharitable, yet its brisk 35 minutes undoubtedly recover much of the hunger which fuelled those electrifying early years. It’s there in Hooked’s filthy synth strut and Everydaydreamer’s sultry hip-bobbing bassline, not to mention the likes of Tell Me I Should Stay and Black Eyelashes – songs littered with peppy, delectable hooks dispensed like casual afterthoughts. It’s great to have them back!
