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

Few electronic music collaborations feel as effortlessly cool and emotionally resonant as Daft Punk’s “Instant Crush,” featuring The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas. Blending melancholic synth-pop, rich disco-era instrumentation, and Casablancas’s signature heavily filtered vocals, the song remains a fan favorite.

So, when exactly did it come out?

The track had two major milestones: its initial release as part of an acclaimed album in 2013, followed by its official deployment as a single later that same year.

The Timeline: From Album Drop to Official Single

• May 17, 2013: “Instant Crush” first entered the world when Daft Punk released their blockbuster fourth studio album, Random Access Memories. Fans listening to the album from front to back encountered the track as its fifth song.
• November 22, 2013: Following the massive success of preceding singles like “Get Lucky” and “Lose Yourself to Dance,” “Instant Crush” was officially serviced as the fourth commercial single from Random Access Memories, hitting radio stations and digital platforms.

How the Collaboration Happened

The genesis of “Instant Crush” dates back to somewhere between 2010 and 2012. Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo—the duo behind Daft Punk—were longtime admirers of The Strokes. After crossing paths, they played an instrumental demo for Casablancas.

Casablancas immediately gravitated toward the track, humming a vocal melody over the chords on the spot. He wrote the lyrics and recorded the vocals, later noting that working with the French robots gave him a renewed creative perspective. The result was a track that bridged the gap between indie rock grit and sleek electronic production.

The Tragic Music Video

No conversation about “Instant Crush” is complete without mentioning its iconic, heartbreaking music video, which premiered in December 2013.

Directed by Warren Fu, the video features wax figures of soldiers and civilian characters in a museum setting. A wax figure modeled directly after Julian Casablancas falls in love with a female figure across the room. In a tragic climax, a fire breaks out in the museum, melting the figures together into a poignant, bittersweet symbol of eternal connection.

Legacy and Impact

Upon its release, Random Access Memories swept the global charts and won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. While “Get Lucky” dominated the summer club scenes, “Instant Crush” became the emotional anchor of the winter.

Reviewers praised its moody, introspective lyrics juxtaposed against upbeat grooves, landing it on several end-of-year lists, including Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Songs of 2013. More than a decade later, “Instant Crush” endures as a masterclass in cross-genre collaboration—proving that synthetic beats can carry some of the most deeply human emotions in modern music.