Franz Ferdinand

Back with their first studio record in 7 years, the Glaswegian quintet have lost none of the rakish lustre that first endeared us to their lively art rock 20 years back - in fact, this throbs with an infectious, high-kicking energy that we just can't help but find ourselves joyously caught up in.

This album showcases Franz at their most immediate, upbeat and life-affirming, unashamedly going for the pop-jugular in classic Franz style. Pretty much all written before they hit the studio, the idea was to have a songbook ready before they started recording and once in the studio it was all quickly executed - a lot of it recorded live with the band in the room and many of the vocals on the album being the original takes. Maybe this is a set of songs about fear, maybe this is a set of bangers from an era-defining band continuing their unquestionably living legacy. Is that something to be afraid of?