Following industry reports that Daft Punk are set to release a new album under Sony’s Columbia Records, the legendary house duo now have confirmed the upcoming release of their new album in May this year and the new record deal with nothing more than an image posted on their website.

When the pair revealed the new front to their website. So overwhelmed with the sheer volume of traffic since the artwork dropped, the page crashed.

The artwork – which may be the cover of their new record – features the pair’s iconic helmets in two halves, one silver and one gold in a slick futuristic design. In the bottom right hand corner is the logo for Columbia Records, confirming the French duo’s departure to the new label.

The follow up to 2005’s Human After All will be the pair’s first release with Columbia Records after 17 years at EMI’s Virgin Records. The new deal comes after EMI was snatched up by Universal Music last September in a $1.9 million merger.

The as-yet-untitled album will be the first in nearly three years for Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. The highly anticipated release is set to feature a number of collaborations including one from Chic frontman and funk legend, Nile Rodgers.

So overwhelmed with the sheer volume of traffic since the artwork dropped, the website crashed.

“We were just jamming at my house,” said Rodgers about the recordings. “We were having so much fun just in an informal setting that we decided to make it formal. And it’s very formal. It’s gonna be amazing.”

Influential Italian producer Giorgio Moroder is also set to feature, recording a spoken-word monologue-come-rap for the forthcoming album.

Rumours are rife with even more collaborators being linked to the electronic duo. Namely Oscar-winning singer-songwriter Paul Williams – best known for penning the Kermit The Frog hit ‘The Rainbow Connection’, Feist collaborator Chilly Gonzales and Animal Collective’s Panda Bear.

Fans of the French pair have been waiting for a new LP for some time with the last instance of new material heard being courtesy of a Yves Saint Laurent fashion show last year, in which the French duo produced a 15 minute track that heavily sampled blues artist Junior Kimbrough for the Parisian show.

The greatly anticipated new record is slated for release in May this year is the latest in a string of top tier albums due in 2013.

There’s the latest from Iggy and the Stooges, new material from Brooklyn outfit The Nationalthe latest from Parisian indie popsters Phoenix, the fifth LP from New Yorkers The StrokesDavid Bowie’s first new album in a decade, and anticipated releases from the likes of Vampire WeekendYeah Yeah YeahsBlack Rebel Motorcycle Club, and The Knife’s 98 minute opusShaking The Habitual.

Similarly we can see brand new tunes from Australian hopefuls including the Cat Empire’s latest, the second album from Melbourne twosome Big ScaryThe Drones’ tour backed I See Seaweed, and a heap of new albums from the likes of Bernard FanningBirds of TokyoHermitudeAirbourneSuper Wild Horses, and new material from Perth outfit Pond.

You can view the slick new artwork below:

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