Dance Rock Goes Zero Gravity in Franz Ferdinand’s New Video “Always Ascending”

The space between Franz Ferdinand albums has averaged 4-5 years, and we’ve lost a band member along the way—this makes us no less excited for the band’s next release, Always Ascending, out on Feb. 9, 2018 via Domino. They’ve shared the music video (directed by AB/CD/CD) for the title track today, and it’s as sleek and sexy as the sound of the song promised, with innovative performance footage and a subliminal feeling of falling.

Mack Hayden wrote in his Paste review of the band’s last album, “Like all their previous work, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action can turn any time and/or place into a classy dance party and, to be honest, that tends to be a lot more fun and sometimes even more necessary than heavy, philosophical inquiry.” You’re not in for some kind of realization in “Always Ascending,” either, but you are along for the ride.

“We’re happy to now be ‘Always Ascending’ on the screen, with AB/CD/CD capturing the mood of the song and likenesses of the band in perfect detail,” frontman Alex Kapranos says in a statement. “This is pretty much a typical Sunday afternoon round at Franz Ferdinand’s flat.”

Most recently, Kapranos formed a supergroup with Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell, Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle, Midlake’s Eric Pulido and Travis’ Fran Healy called BNQT. They released an album titled Volume 1 in April.

Watch “Always Ascending” in the player below and preorder the album here. Franz Ferdinand kick off a tour today in Seattle—those dates are included below, as well.

Franz Ferdinand Tour Dates:

December
04 – Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox Market
05 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Commodore [SOLD OUT]
06 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Commodore
07 – Portland, Ore. @ Theater Of The Clouds (947 FM Portland)
09 – Pomona, Calif. @ Glasshouse
10 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Forum (KROQ Almost Acoustic Xmas)

January
25 – Tokyo, Japan @ Shinkiba Studio Coast

February
10 – Galway, Ireland @ Leisureland
11 – Dublin, Ireland @ Olympia Theatre
13 – Manchester, U.K. @ Royal Albert Hall
14 – Nottingham, U.K. @ Rock City
16 – Newcastle, U.K. @ 02 Academy
17 – Glasgow, U.K. @ 02 Academy
19 – Leeds, U.K. @ 02 Academy
20 – Birmingham, U.K. @ 02 Academy
21 – Bristol, U.K. @ 02 Academy
23 – Cambridge, U.K. @ Corn Exchange
24 – London, U.K. @ 02 Brixton Academy
25 – Brighton, U.K. @ Dome
27 – Paris, France @ Zenith
28 – Brussels, Belgium @ Forest National

March
01 – Hamburg, Germany @ Mehr! Theater
03 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ Tivoli Vrendenburg
04 – Groningen, Netherlands @ De Oosterpoort
05 – Cologne, Germany @ Palladium
07 – Berlin, Germany @ Tempodrom
08 – Warsaw, Poland @ Stodola
09 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Forum Karlin
11 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Halle 622
12 – Munich, Germany @ Tonhalle
13 – Vienna, Austria @ Gasometer
15 – Bologna, Italy @ Unipol Arena
17 – Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera
19 – Toulouse, France @ Zenith
20 – Montpellier, France @ Zenith Sud
21 – Lyon, France @ Amphi 3000
23 – Rennes, France @ Liberte
24 – Caen, France @ Zenith

April
08 – Toronto, Ontario @ Rebel
10 – Boston, Mass. @ House of Blues
11 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
13 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Fillmore
16 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Brooklyn Steel
27 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ First Avenue
28 – Kansas City, Mo. @ The Truman
30 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Rave

May
02 – St. Louis, Mo. @ The Pageant
07 – Dallas, Texas @ House of Blues
08 – Houston, Texas @ White Oak Music Hall
11 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ The Van Buren
13 – San Diego, Calif. @ North Park @ The Observatory
15 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern
17 – Oakland, Calif. @ The Fox Theatre