Rough guitars over a seductive groove, underground credibility and an immediate sense of chorus: Buoyed by anthems such as "Take Me Out" (2004) or "Do You Want To" (2005), the Scotsmen of Franz Ferdinand first embodied an era that celebrated both the return of rock and the confirmed advent of dance music.

Over the course of five albums, the band led by singer-guitarist Alex Kapranos later evolved, alternately leaning toward one of these poles. For sometimes more electric records: You Could Have It So Much Better (2005), Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (2013); or more electronic (and less successful) with Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009) and Always Ascending (2018), the latest album to date, produced by the late Philippe Zdar (1967-2019).

Driven perhaps by a fear of obsolescence or one record too many, the quartet regenerated as a quintet succeeds with The Human Fear, the sixth chapter of its discography, in brilliantly reworking genres, imagining new pop landscapes. Admittedly, we do not find the original urgency that made Franz Ferdinand the coolest band of the mid-2000s, but, at 52, Kapranos, separated from guitarist Nick McCarthy since 2016, and still assisted by Bob Hardy's bouncy bass, demonstrates a vitality fleshed out by an expanded know-how.

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