Franz Ferdinand says their new album revolves around the most uncomfortable of emotions.

“People don’t like admitting to feeling fear,” says frontman Alex Kapranos. “Bob [Hardy] and I had this great conversation about how fear is often the most exciting element in life, or overcoming it.”

Hardy, the band’s bassist, says the songs on The Human Fear are a call to action.

“If you live your life without putting yourself in a situation where you ever feel afraid, then it’s gonna be a pretty boring life. Are you really living?”

In this session, the Glaswegian rock band join us to dissect the new album. Hardy talks about how his motivation in the band has shifted over the years, from amusement to craftsmanship, and Kapranos opens up about his Greek heritage, which the band explores on “Black Eyelashes.”

Plus, Franz Ferdinand performs in the studio.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.