The Scottish based alt-rock band, Franz Ferdinand, have just released the first single/title track for their upcoming album, Always Ascending.  The band, which consists of Alex Kapranos (vocals, guitar), Bob Hardy (bass), Paul Thomson (drums), Julian Corrie (keyboards, guitar) and Dino Bardot (guitar), first burst onto the music scene with a groovy uninhibited and sexy 2004 hit titled, “Take Me Out.” Much like the death of their namesake, the Austro-hungarian Archuduke, the song caused an uprising in their home in the UK, as well as in the US. The song  became an instant radio classic and remained so for over a decade. Any KROQ listeners know that it is bound to pop up every once in a while even today. Their song, “No You Girls,” proved to be just as revolutionary and resilient.

The band’s most recent album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Actions was released in 2013. Since then, the band has released several singles including “Demagogue,” for the 30 Days, 30 songs program during the 2016 election.

“Always Ascending,” continues the steady rock undertones the band has popularized in their earlier work, but also showcases a completely new side of the band. The band combines a disco dance sensibility of the late 70s, with a new wave rock sound of the 80s to create a song that is somehow both classic and futuristic. While the and may be looking back for inspiration, they are definitely moving forward as a group. The rest of the album, which was produced by Phillippe Zdar (Phoenix, The Beastie Boys), is guaranteed to have more experiential sounds. The rest of the album will be released February 9th, 2018.

Track List:
1. Always Ascending
2. Lazy Boy
3. Paper Cages
4. Finally
5. The Academy Award
6. Lois Lane
7. Huck And Jim
8. Glimpse Of Love
9. Feel The Love Go
10. Slow Don’t Kill Me Slow

Tour Dates: 
12/04 – Seattle, WA – Showbox Market
12/05 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore
12/06 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore
12/07 – Portland, OR – KNRK Show
12/09 – Pomona, CA – Glasshouse
12/10 – Los Angeles, CA – KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas
01/25 – Tokyo, Japan – Shinkiba Studio Coast
02/10 – Galway, Ireland – Leisureland
02/11 – Dublin, Ireland – Olympia Theatre
02/13 – Manchester, UK – Royal Albert Hall
02/14 – Nottingham, UK – Rock City
02/16 – Newcastle, UK – 02 Academy
02/17 – Glasgow, UK – 02 Academy
02/19 – Leeds, UK – 02 Academy
02/20 – Birmingham, UK – 02 Academy
02/21 – Bristol, UK – 02 Academy
02/23 – Cambridge, UK – Corn Exchange
02/24 – London, UK – 02 Brixton Academy
02/25 – Brighton, UK – Dome
02/27 – Paris, France – Zenith
02/28 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National
03/01 – Hamburg, Germany – Mehr! Theater
03/03 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli Vrendenburg
0304 – Groningen, Netherlands – De Oosterpoort
03/05 – Cologne, Germany – Palladium
03/0 7 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
03/08 – Warsaw, Poland – Stodola
03/09 – Prague, Czech Republic – Forum Karlin
03/11 – Zurich, Switzerland – Halle 622
03/12 – Munich, Germany – Tonhalle
03/13 – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer
03/15 – Bologna, Italy – Unipol Arena
03/17 – Madrid, Spain – La Riviera
03/19 – Toulouse, France – Zenith
03/20 – Montpellier, France – Zenith Sud
03/21 – Lyon, France – Amphi 3000
03/23 – Rennes, France – Liberte
03/24 – Caen, France – Zenith
04/08 – Toronto, ON – Rebel
04/10 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
04/11 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
04/13 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
04/16 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
04/27 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
04/28 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman
04/30 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
05/02 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
05/07 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
05/08 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
05/11 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
05/13 – San Diego, CA – North Park @ The Observatory
05/15 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
05/17 – Oakland, CA – The Fox Theatre

photo credit: Marv Watson