Are Daft Punk Actually Working on a New Album or is the Internet Just Being a Dickhead?

Every morning for the last couple of weeks, I've woken up to a trickle of rumours suggesting Daft Punk are working on a new album. Initially I was happy to dismiss them as dismal news-scraps, thinking that if something concrete actually was happening it'd be plastered all over Twitter faster than a politician's gaffe. The thing is, as the days went on, more shreds of evidence emerged and I was faced with the possibility that maybe, just maybe, something is actually happening.

As we know, Thomas Bangalter and Manuel de Homem-Christo's last record Random Access Memories was released in 2013. It's a divisive album, with many people finding it over-indulgent and just not dancey enough. Personally I think it's pretty great – they had me at the honky-tonk breakdown on "Touch" – but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed by how soon the pair seemed to go quiet. Save for popping up at the Grammy's there were next to no live appearances. Even the proposed remix campaign vanished. It seemed as quickly as they'd returned they had disappeared again.

Something is stirring under the chrome helmets. Daft Punk might just be working on a new album. That, or the internet is jumping to conclusions again. Let's check the evidence.

PAUL JOHNSON - HEAR THE MUSIC

This is the strongest piece of evidence so far, and kudos to HarderBloggerFaster who spotted this first on reddit. Paul Johnson, for the uninitiated, is a Chicago house producer who used to DJ with Daft Punk 'back in the day'. A couple of months ago he posted an old poster for a show he played with Bangalter and Homem-Christo. In the comments thread underneath, he shared one of his own tracks "Hear the Music" with the caption "This song birthed Daft Punk…" One of his fans (called Norman) then added, "I miss these days !! i think its about time someone bringing this genre back 2 life." What Johnson said next could be pretty huge…

TIDAL FOR ALL

Tidal seems to be one of the other suggested indicators that Daft Punk are going to release music. Many of the artists who've put their weight behind Jay-Z's project have also gone on to release music or some form of content through the app. The speculation goes then, that given our previous clue, Daft Punk might just be working towards releasing a new album this way.

DEVIL'S TOWER

This is an interesting one. According to the Rapid City Journal of South Dakota, Daft Punk had applied for permission to perform at the bottom of the Devil's Tower, in the Black Hills of Wyoming last year. Just typing "the bottom of the Devil's Tower, in the Black Hills of Wyoming" felt good enough, so imagine how amazing it would be to watch. Sadly, but appropriately given that the national park is of major significance to many Native American communities, permission was denied. Yet this does still float the idea that Daft Punk are going to perform live, and soon. Given how long ago Random Access Memories came out, it isn't unreasonable to suspect live appearances might arrive in tandem with new music. Time to get the helmets buffered, boys.

NEW DAFT PUNK FIGURINES

Merchandise can often be a solid sign that cogs are turning. Think about it, every time a major Hollywood blockbuster comes out one of the first ways of knowing what it'll look like is given away by the Lego sets that are released alongside it. You know the drill: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom. Maybe I'm clutching at straws, but I think the release of a couple of polished action figures in May could signal the start of something new.

NILE RODGERS SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THEM

You know when I said I was clutching at straws earlier – there are now barely any straws left, and I'm trying furiously to get a bit of purchase on the ones that are left. Nile Rodgers, in a recent interview with Q Magazine, said "I understand their concept and I respect where they come from." Nile understands their concept? What concept Nile? The concept for their new album? Cryptic.

NATALIE IMBRUGLIA COVERS "INSTANT CRUSH"

I've run out of straws.

VERDICT: THE INTERNET IS BEING A (BIT OF A) DICKHEAD

There you have it. The facts that are leading many to suspect the French funk-wizards are working on a new release. Unfortunately, while they may be playing around with some new sounds, there certainly isn't anything concrete enough to suggest we are actually getting a new record. Once again the internet (and by extension THUMP) is being a bit of a dickhead. Sorry.

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