Originally Posted by Maemi (Post 3276308)

There is one song on new album that reminds me of that awful Kuma song... :D I can't stand it.

Originally Posted by Cahz- (Post 3276351)

I would like to read that interview :yes

Originally Posted by ahtka-chan (Post 3276016)

I love those weird chants/backing vocals near the end of Play A Love Song. But that's the only thing I like in that song. I could've lived without this song.

Some interesting facts about the songs in the album, according to Hikki herself:
- “Chikai”: Utada received an offer to write the theme song for Kingdom Hearts III not long after releasing “Fantôme”. While Utada initially thought she was on-empty post-Fantôme, she was surprised at how easily ideas came bubbling up. “Chikai,” “Oozora,” “Forevermore” and “Anata” were all written during this creative spurt. famed drummer Chris Dave and “Chikai”: Upon the theme song trailer release for KH3, Utada heard reaction saying “I don’t understand the rhythm” and “what kind of beat is this?” Made Utada realize that something which seemed like a very simple + normal groove line for her wasn’t necessarily heard that way by others. Feels like if Chris Dave hadn’t been involved, the song would not have have succeeded since the beat was so tricky and nuanced

- “Pakuchii no Uta”: Utada had been stewing on it for around 10 years. She believes it was written around the same time as her iconic “Boku wa Kuma”

- “Yuunagi”: The song was originally to be included on Fantôme but Utada wasn’t happy with the writing. Debated whether or not to omit on “Hatsukoi” as well. Utada took herself back to the mindset of “Ningyo” in order to complete the track. “Yuunagi” contains allusions to the sea, and she considers it as a sequel of sorts to “Ningyo”.

- “Shitto saserubeki jinsei”: Because the track came out with such scale and weight, Utada wanted to write lyrics about a “Supreme Love”. Utada considers it a personal yet fictitious sort of novel. When thinking about a “Supreme Love,” she landed on the idea of a love that ends in death

- “Nokoriga”: Utada struggled a lot with the lyrics, so much so that she thought of giving up on Japanese and writing it in English. The breakthrough came when she thought of the line “kata wo sagasu” (For your warm shoulder, I search) whilst taking a bath

- Overall, Utada considers this to be an album about beginnings and endings. She thinks it carries a different sort of weight than Fantôme, but thinks it’s her most power-filled album yet

From: Ublog