Whether you know them from a military recruiting ad, the anime rendition of Cyberpunk 2077, or the Indie Rock and Roll scene of the early 2000s, Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand is a touchstone in earworm-y indie tunes. Their greatest hits of Take Me Out, This Ffffire, and The Dark of the Matinée propelled the band to success all over Europe and even in the United States. Overall, Franz Ferdinand’s debut in 2004 solidified their presence in rock and roll through a style that can only be described as a mélange of stripped-down garage rock and hypnotizing dance beats, sprinkled with catchy and captivating singing.

The Beginnings

Franz Ferdinand formed after lead guitarist and singer Alex Kapranos met rhythm guitarist Nick McCarthy at a party. Soon after, bassist Bob Hardy and drummer Paul Thomson joined the group. They all decided on the name Franz Ferdinand because of its alliteration and because they wanted to be popular enough that people would think of the band instead of the archduke when the name is mentioned. After many years of music and slick dance moves by Alex, Franz Ferdinand has succeeded due to their unique fusion of genres.

This Fire is Out of Control

In 2004, Franz Ferdinand debuted with their self-titled album featuring stomping hits like This Fire and Take Me Out. The album established the band’s dance-rock fusion style, making use of simple but powerful drumbeats supporting some of the catchiest riffs and choruses in indie music. The songs were and still are a reminder of how fun hook-driven guitar music can be.

The album’s opener, Jaqueline, has Alex droning on about how much work can suck all while the blazing guitar and bass plays with a captivating passion. Despite the band’s furious guitar compositions, they avoid guitar solos unlike similar indie acts like The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and Cage the Elephant. Instead, they prefer powerful breakdowns and simple guitar hooks to reel in the listener.

Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand’s greatest hit, propelled them to success. This insanely catchy rock anthem was originally structured differently, but the shifting tempos (the song’s speed) confused the band and listeners, so they decided to move all the verses to the intro. This gave the song its iconic buildup, going from an affectionate ode into a mesmerizing adrenaline-inducing rock hit.

Franz Ferdinand had so much influence, that their two greatest hits of Take Me Out and This Fire were actually used in popular media. Take Me Out was used in a military recruitment ad and featured in many TikTok edits, bolstering the song’s popularity and bringing Franz Ferdinand back on the radar even decades later. The remake of This Fire was also used in the anime rendition of the video game Cyberpunk 2077, complementing the game and the anime perfectly. Franz Ferdinand had an insanely great start, and even influenced other indie dance-rock bands such as Bloc Party.

Well What’s Wrong with a Little Destruction?

The band continued to release studio albums, experimenting with more electronic dance music in 2009’s Tonight and light pop music in 2013’s Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. Songs like No You Girls and Ulysses off of Tonight are hypnotizing and spark a desire for listeners to dance along. With each new release marks another change in the band, establishing Franz Ferdinand as a group that isn’t a one-trick pony. Their new album, The Human Fear, will be released on January 9, 2025 and this release will mark yet another shift in their dance-inspired garage punk rock style.