Franz Ferdinand share addictive new single ‘Hooked’

Franz Ferdinand have released their new single ‘Hooked’ – give it a listen below.

‘Hooked’ is the third single to be shared from the band’s upcoming sixth album ‘The Human Fear’, out on Friday (January 10), following ‘Audacious’ and ‘Night Or Day’.

The angular indie track, heavy with synths, doesn’t differ too much from the Glasgow band’s signature dancey post-punk sound, with frontman Alex Kapranos saying about the track: “Sliding into midnight, it’s a nighttime prowl of a song. If we all have the human fear, then that’s alright when you’re hooked.”

Kapranos sings in the pre-chorus: “I thought I knew what love was/But then I met you,” before a rousing chorus of “You got me hooked” repeated over jittering synths.

Towards the end of last year, ‘Hooked’ became one of the songs the band showcased on tour, first playing it during a show at Strathpeffer Spa Pavilion in the Scottish Highlands in September.

Another as-yet-unreleased track from the album, ‘Bar Lonely’ was given its TV debut at the weekend when the band appeared on CBS Saturday Sessions – like ‘Hooked’, it had been showcased during some of Franz’s live dates in recent months.

Speaking to NME about the upcoming album in September, Kapranos discussed enjoying being in the band, saying: “If you are going to make music, then there’s no point in shying away from your identity or being embarrassed by who you are. You need to embrace it with all the audacity you can possibly have.”

He added: “I’d say that’s probably my attitude. That’s how I feel about my favourite bands when they’re at their absolute best, their most extremely ‘them’. That’s how I feel at the moment. I feel really good about being in Franz Ferdinand and really good about putting music into the world. I love being in this band.”

With the album being named ‘The Human Fear’ and it also being a core lyric in ‘Hooked’, Kapranos described where this comes from. He said: “We all have fears in our lives, and those fears are kind of a clue to understanding who we are – how we respond to them, how we overcome them (if we overcome them, because sometimes we don’t). The greatest moments in your life usually involve overcoming some kind of fear. Sometimes it’s a paralysing fear, but when it’s overcome, my god, it’s the greatest buzz in the world!

“Say you’re asking your partner out for the first time; that’s terrifying. Or moving to a new town and not knowing anybody. On the album, I’m talking about different fears that I’ve seen in other people: fear of social isolation, fear of leaving an institution, fear of leaving or staying in a relationship. It wasn’t like a clinical analysis when writing the songs, I only realised that after.”

He also teased that the album could be different from what fans might expect to hear from Franz Ferdinand – but within reason. “I don’t think there’s a single song that you’ll hear on the album and won’t think, ‘Oh, is that Franz Ferdinand?’” he said. “At the same time, there will be thinking, ‘Oh, did they really do that?’ That’s not to say I start rapping or anything like that.”

From Thursday (January 9), meanwhile, the band will embark on a run of out-store shows in the UK, before a UK and European tour from February. You can buy tickets here.

Franz Ferdinand’s 2025 UK and Europe tour dates are:

JANUARY

9 – Kingston, UK – Pryzm

10 – Bexhill, UK – De La Warr

11 – Liverpool, UK – Dome Grand Central

12 – Edinburgh, UK – Liquid Room (early and late evening shows)

18 – Manchester, UK – Aviva Studios

FEBURARY

14 – Lisbon, Portugal – Aula Magna

15 – A Coruña, Spain – Sala Pelicano

17 – Madrid, Spain – La Riviera

18 – Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz

20 – Milan, Italy – Fabrique

21 – Zurich, Switzerland – X-Tra

22 – Munich, Germany – Muffathalle

24 – Berlin, Germany – Huxleys Neue Welt

25 – Warsaw, Poland – Progresja

27 – Paris, France – La Cigale

28 – Cologne, Germany – Die Kantine

MARCH

01 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma

03 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso

05 – London, UK – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

06 – London, UK – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

07 – Glasgow, UK – Barrowland