JAPAN / LISTENING GUIDE
Hikaru Utada’s BAD MODE: a doorway with several exits
An album guide built around three titles in Utada’s official release notes.
GoBlossom · Published
AI-assisted artist introductions, release reporting and listening prompts, based on the linked sources. Not a firsthand interview or a scored review.
Listen / official release ↗The record in context
Hikaru Utada’s official release notes identify BAD MODE as an eighth studio album and list “BAD MODE,” “Kibunja Naino (Not In The Mood)” and “Somewhere Near Marseilles” among its new songs at the time of release. That 2022 context matters: we are revisiting a catalogue chapter. You can use those three titles as a small introduction before exploring the full record or the separate Air Studios performance.
Sources: Hikaru Utada — BAD MODE / release information and artist context
A way into the music
Try the title track first, then the other two named songs. Instead of deciding which is best, notice how long each asks you to stay in one emotional space. Does your attention go to the words, the pace, or the way a phrase returns? Then restore the album’s running order. A track that feels self-contained in isolation may behave differently when another song leads into it.
Where to go next
The official page also distinguishes the album from the limited edition’s concert and documentary material. Begin with the music you can access, then explore the performance if you want another perspective. Packaging is a separate question from where to start listening.
Sources & listening links
Release information checked October 31, 2026. Publication dates above refer to this article, not the release date.