The album took longer than the band expected due to the pandemic and the release of their 2022 greatest hits compilation Hits to the Head. “I’m really glad that it took longer, because the songs had time to mature,” says Kapranos. “I actually think the album’s a lot stronger for the time that we had to take to make it.”
After all, The Human Fear was built on themes which could be philosophised over indefinitely: namely how fear defines our humanity. “But it’s not the fear itself as much as overcoming those fears,” explains Kapranos, “because there’s nothing more life affirming. You never feel as alive as you do when you actually overcome your fears.”
“Sometimes we can feel there are fears we experience that are beyond our control. Like the world around us is collapsing for one reason or another and, for this moment, there’s nothing we can actually do to change that,” he says. “How do you overcome that?”
When Kapranos wrote “Audacious” for the album, he was feeling despondent. “I was like, ‘Oh, what am I going to do? How am I going to overcome that sensation and that fear?’” His response was to go out and do something bold and audacious. “Take care of my own destiny to decide how I’m gonna deal with my life – and that’s been my way of lifting myself up, feeling positive and overcoming those kinds of existential fears around us.”
“I acknowledge the fear. I know that it’s there, but am I gonna let it destroy me? No, I’m gonna overcome it, and it always feels good to overcome it,” he says. “That’s why we watch horror movies or ride on roller coasters… because it feels good to overcome fear. You feel alive when you do, which is going to inspire one to make something.”
In a reflective mood, Kapranos was ready to look back over the dance-punk act’s discographic accomplishments — and there’s certainly no shortage of material to choose from. “All of the songs that I’ve chosen are songs that I still love playing live. If I see that song next on our setlist, I’m like, ‘Oh I’m really looking forward to playing that!’”
