Matt's Track of the Week: "Digital Love"

Song: Digital Love

Artist: Daft Punk

Album: Discovery

Year: 2001

It's hard to believe that such an iconic and genre defining group like Daft Punk could have come together with the breakup of another musical endeavor. Before Thomas Bagalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo founded their infamous French House duo, they played in a short-lived indie rock group alongside Phoenix's Laurent Brancowitz. The group disbanded after only a few shows together, but not before inspiring the pairing of phrases that would go on to be their new moniker. At the time, a reviewer in the now defunct UK music publication Melody Maker offhandedly referred to the trio's sound as "a bunch of daft punk", and when it came to naming their new project, it stuck out as the clear choice.

When recording Discovery, Daft Punk wanted to invoke the innocence and creativity of childhood through their songs. To do this, the group relied heavily on sampling, and the sounds of 70s and 80s dance music to recreate the fun and carefree nature of those times. "Digital Love" is a perfect example of this in action. It contains a poppy hook, heavy use of auto-tune, and bright synth and guitar sounds. Like others on this seminal release, it's a straightforward love song with a sound that's easy to move to, further paying homage to the album's concepts and the beginnings of dance music. Still, it's complicated production and unique vibe make it a tune that you find yourself returning to time and time again. Check it out below.