Manuela – the new project involving Franz Ferdinand’s Nick McCarthy – release a debut single, ‘Cracks in the Concrete’.

It’s the first music from either part of the band since the recent announcement that guitarist / keyboard player McCarthy would be leaving Franz – or at least, not appearing on the next album, citing family commitments.

Instead, his committment to his family sees the formation of Manuela – with his wife Manuela Gernedel. The Austrian-born visual artist has been making music with McCarthy on and off since they met at a youth club summer party in the late 90s in Bavaria, Germany, where they both grew up.

The pair moved to Glasgow when Gernedel was offered a place at Glasgow School of Art. While living in Glasgow she performed with White Nights, who released one 7” EP via Paul Thompson’s NEW! label.

The couple also worked together as Box Codax along with their long-term friend Alexander Ragnew, releasing two albums – ‘Only An Orchard Away’ in 2006 and 2011’s ‘Hellabuster’.

‘Cracks in the Concrete’ is released via the Lost Map label as a PostMap postcard single and download, available from lostmap.com. It comes with a disco remix B-side by London DJ Nadia Ksaiba,

The new material was recorded at McCarthy’s Sausage studio in Hackney, London and co-produced by Sebastian Kellig, after touring of the Franz Ferdinand and Sparks collaboration FFS had concluded.

The Manuela album is currently being finalised for release at a later date, but will feature guests including Jim Dixon (Django Django), William Reese (Mystery Jets), Roxanne Clifford (Veronica Falls) and Paul Thomson (Franz Ferdinand).

More at the Lost Map website.