Hikaru Utada

Bad Mode Hikaru Utada Japan Import edition

Bad Mode (Japanese: Badモード, Hepburn: Baddo Mōdo, stylized in all upper case lettering) is the eighth Japanese-language studio album (eleventh overall) by Japanese-American singer Hikaru Utada. It is also her first bilingual album release, with songs in both Japanese and English. It was released on the Sony Music Japan sub-label Epic Records Japan digitally on January 19, 2022, the day of Utada's 39th birthday, and was released physically on CD and limited CD-DVD-BD format bundle on February 23. It marked her first album release in four years.

Six previously released songs were confirmed for the album, including the title track "Bad Mode", the Shiseido commercial theme song "Find Love", and the Kingdom Hearts III theme song "Face My Fears". The album includes collaborations with a variety of producers, including Skrillex and Poo Bear, A. G. Cook, and Sam Shepherd.[8] Describing the record's themes, MTV wrote that Bad Mode is largely about growing up, self-love, self-partnering, and acceptance". It utilizes various musical styles including pop, jazz, electronica, and R&B.

Bad Mode received critical acclaim from music critics, with The Japan Times calling it a career highlight. It was named one of the best albums of the year by various music publications including Pitchfork and Slant Magazine; "Somewhere Near Marseilles" was also ranked within the top 10 on both publications' lists of Best Songs of 2022. Commercially, the album received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) within a month of its release with over 100,000 copies sold.