When Did “Instant Crush” Come Out? The Story Behind Daft Punk and Julian Casablancas’s Timeless Collaboration

If you were listening to the radio, scrolling through music blogs, or tuning into music television in 2013, it was virtually impossible to escape the infectious, melancholic groove of Daft Punk’s “Instant Crush.”

Featuring the unmistakable, heavily auto-tuned vocals of The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas, the track quickly became one of the definitive fan-favorites from the legendary French electronic duo’s blockbuster album, Random Access Memories.

The Official Release Timeline

“Instant Crush” had a carefully rolled-out release as part of Daft Punk’s massive 2013 campaign:

• Album Release: The song first debuted globally on May 17, 2013 (May 20 in the UK and May 21 in the US), when Random Access Memories dropped worldwide via Columbia Records.
• Single Release: After dominating streaming platforms and radio airwaves as an album track, it was officially serviced to radio and released as the fourth official single from the album on November 22, 2013.
• Music Video Release: The iconic, heartbreaking music video featuring wax figures of Casablancas and a Victorian-era woman premiered on December 5, 2013.

How the Collaboration Happened

The genesis of “Instant Crush” feels like an indie-rock and electronic fairy tale. By 2011, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (Daft Punk) were putting together their fourth studio album—a record dedicated to abandoning modern software loops in favor of live instrumentation, analog gear, and a warm, 1970s and ’80s studio sound.

Daft Punk had long admired Julian Casablancas as the voice of the garage-rock revival. When they crossed paths in New York City, they played him an instrumental demo. Casablancas immediately connected with the track’s bittersweet chord progression and laid down the vocal melody.

The resulting song bridges two completely different musical worlds: Daft Punk’s lush, synth-driven disco-pop production and Casablancas’s signature angsty, romantic lyricism about unrequited love and missed connections.

The Heartbreaking Music Video

Directed by Warren Fu, the music video for “Instant Crush” is widely considered one of the most poignant visual accompaniments of the 2010s.

Set in a dusty museum archive, the video features a life-sized wax figure modeled after Julian Casablancas alongside a female wax figure in period attire. As the museum catches fire, the two wax figures—who spent the video gazing longingly at one another across the room—are melted together into a single mass, symbolizing a tragic, permanent union.

Legacy and Impact

Though more than a decade has passed since its release, “Instant Crush” has only grown in stature. While singles like “Get Lucky” dominated the charts with high-energy disco optimism, “Instant Crush” captured the moodier, introspective side of Random Access Memories.

It stands as a masterclass in genre-blending—proving that when two radically different musical forces like Daft Punk and Julian Casablancas collide, the result is nothing short of timeless.