Teruzane sends out the fax on Hikaru Utada's 8th studio album, Bad Mode

December 9th, 2021. 23 years to the day since the release of Hikaru Utada's debut single "Automatic". The date Hikaru Utada fans were given to expect new album news, and we got it y'all. Everything but the tracklist. But more than half the album is singles we done heard already, so what is even the point in a tracklist? But we did get news of one previously unheard and unannounced song.

The title of Hikaru Utada's 8th Japanese studio album is Badモード, the latter of which translates to the word 'Mode'. So, Bad Mode.

It's weird that Hikaru would have the album be titled in this way. But then again, Hikaru's been fucking around with languages in their album titles since their 2015 / 2016comeback. After 5 albums featuring English titles, we got Fantôme (French), Hatsukoi (Japanese) and now Badモード which is English and Japanese. It makes me wonder if the title being split this way is a sign of what to expect from the album as far as Japanese and English material goes. Hikaru had tweeted that she was working on an English version of "Kimi ni Muchuu", which surprised just about everybody. And "Find Love" appears to be an all English song, the first of which to feature on a Japanese studio album of Hikaru's. So, I guess we'll see. But it's probably nothing at all.

Hikaru Utada - Bad Mode | Digital: 19.1.2022 / Physical: 23.2.2022

The album cover appears to be from the indoor Ring camera of Hikaru's front door, from when Francesco pulled up to the house to collect the last of his things which had been put in a box to the left. Even their son was over him turning up.

The Bad Mode cover is a complete deviation from the Japanese studio album covers we've traditionally gotten from Hikaru, none of which have ever featured Hikaru shot wider than from the chest up. 

Bad Mode will release digitally on January 19th (Hikaru Utada's birthday) and physically on February 23rd. An weird release strategy, and I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind it. It'd be better for the digital and physical release to both be on the same day. But, whatever. The only physical format which has been announced at present is CD. But hopefully we'll get some vinyl presses somewhere down the line.

Hikaru Utada's 8th studio album is coming far sooner I expected. When Teruzane sent out the fax saying 'Spring 2022', I immediately thought March or April. But we're getting this shit in a matter of WEEKS. I can't believe we're approaching the middle of December as I write this. Time and COVID really be tag-teaming and trying to get us the fuck up out of here.



The online gig which was mentioned in Teruzane's November fax is now officially titled Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios, and will be available to stream online from January 19th. Yep. Same day as the album. And something small I noticed about the official English synopsis post on Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios is that Hikaru's gender isn't mentioned. Maybe I'm reaching and it's just the way in which it's written, but it seemed like it went at length to not use gendered terms.

We gon' feed the fans and send them into 2022 bald-headed.
- Teruzane Utada (2021)

Hikaru will be performing songs off of the album for the very first time, which I'm excited about; as I've not been wholly in love with the single run we've gotten. So I'm keen to find out if hearing some of these songs with a live band, live vocals and some tweaks to arrangements (we know Hikaru loves an arrangement tweak) will sway me on the likes of "Time" and "Pink Blood", which I've not listened to once since they first dropped.

A concern for many of Hikaru Utada's fans however is the lack of availability in every country. Some are wondering why the gig wasn't put on a streaming service like Netflix as per Laughter in the Dark; but the answer is money. Laughter in the Dark already grossed as a tour before it hit Netflix. Teruzane wants that paper. I'm sure Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios will hit a streaming service at some point down the line. But it is a damn shame that the access wasn't made to be more inclusive for Hikki fans around the world, especially in light of Fantôme and Hatsukoi charting digitally in so many countries and showing that Hikaru Utada's fanbase is truly global, and not just because of Kingdom Hearts. I think team Utada shoulda taken the hit and just gone straight for a streaming service.

Hikki fans should savour all of this. Because we probabaly won't get a damn thing from Hikaru for the rest of the year. This is how I set my expectations, so that anything Hikaru drops is a pleasant surprise.

Oh. And the album title track "Bad Mode" is going to be the next single release, and will be getting a music video. I'd like it to be a banger with 808s, air horns, and Hikaru bussin' it low - but this is absolutely not what I'm going to get. Not even remotely. But a guy can dream.

🎫 Get tickets for Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios: For fans in Japan | For fans outside of Japan

💿 Singlekaru Reviewtada: Pink Blood | One Last Kiss | Dare ni mo Iwanai | Time
💿 Albumkaru Reviewtada: Hatsukoi | Fantôme | This is the One | Heart Station | Ultra Blue | Exodus | Deep River | Distance | First Love

🎧 Spotifykaru Playlistada: Slaykaru Queentada | Hikaru Utada: R&B | Hikaru Utada: Ballads | Hikaru Utada: Bops | Hikaru Utada: Remixes