New Franz Ferdinand sounds a lot like old Franz Ferdinand. Franz is Franz.
Franz Ferdinand have announced Hits To The Head, a 20-track greatest hits collection showcasing the world-conquering success of the band’s career to date.
Released on Friday March 11th 2022 on Domino, Hits To The Head also features two brand-new tracks “Billy Goodbye” and “Curious,” produced by Alex Kapranos, Julian Corrie and Stuart Price (Dua Lipa, Madonna, Pet Shop Boys). The video for “Billy Goodbye” was directed by Diane Martel, Alex Kapranos and Ben Cole.
Armed with an astute sense of what constitutes the “classic pop song” (famously proclaiming that they write music “to make girls dance to”) the music of Franz Ferdinand continues to resonate globally, and over the course of nearly two decades they’ve become, commercially and critically, one of the biggest UK bands in the world, selling over 10 million albums, 1.2 billion streams to date, 14 platinum albums, winning Brit, Ivor Novello + Mercury Prize awards, Grammy nominations and selling 6 million tickets for their incendiary live show worldwide.
Track listing:
1. Darts Of Pleasure
2. Take Me Out
3. The Dark Of The Matinée
4. Michael
5. This Fire
6. Do You Want To
7. Walk Away
8. The Fallen
9. Outsiders
10. Lucid Dreams
11. Ulysses
12. No You Girls
13. Right Action
14. Evil Eye
15. Love Illumination
16. Stand On The Horizon
17. Always Ascending
18. Glimpse Of Love
19. Curious
20. Billy Goodbye
Hits To The Head is available on CD, deluxe CD, double gatefold 2LP, limited edition indies only gatefold red 2LP, limited edition D2C exclusive gatefold gold 2LP vinyl and cassette. CD and LP formats feature extensive liner notes from JD Beauvallet (former editor of Les Inrockuptibles) and exclusive, unseen photographs. The album is also available digitally.
Talking about the process of picking tracks for the album, lead singer Alex Kapranos said:
It’s the same as writing a set-list for a festival: you want to play the songs you know people want to hear. The hits. Bring the hits to the head. The heart. The feet. That means obvious singles, but also songs you know have a special meaning for both band and audience like Outsiders. We also added two new songs, recorded last year: Billy Goodbye and Curious, both co-produced at the last stage with Stuart Price. I have friends who believe you’re somehow not a “real” fan if you own a best of rather than a discography. I disagree. I think of my parents’ record collection as a kid. I loved their compilation LPs. I am so grateful that they had Changes or Rolled Gold. Those LPs were my entrance point. My introduction.
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Franz Ferdinand signed to Domino in May 2003 and released their first single “Darts Of Pleasure” shortly after. Second single “Take Me Out” exploded onto the international stage, putting the band firmly on the global map and was a precursor to their eponymous debut album, which went on to sell nearly four million copies worldwide.
Artistically always forging forward, their following albums, You Could Have It So Much Better (2005), Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009), Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action(2013) and Always Ascending (2018) all offered a new take on the Franz template and saw them work with some of the most pioneering producers around including Dan Carey, Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, Todd Terje and Philippe Zdar. Having headlined festivals including Reading & Leeds, Rock En Seine, Primavera and All Points East, Franz Ferdinand will be announcing details of major live shows in the near future.
