[4] The song was praised by critics for its synth-based dance sound, as well as lead vocalist Ichiro Yamaguchi's introspective and poetic lyrics.
[14] On October 10, Sakanaction performed their first overseas concert, the Gentra X Ssamzie Sound Festival in Paju, South Korea.
[9][17][18] Yamaguchi felt that a song that would represent the band should be something non-fictional, so he wrote about his feelings after the end of the Shin-shiro tour, where he realized that Tokyo was now his home and not Hokkaido.
[18][20] To reach a wider audience, the band incorporated a stronger pop sound and strong 1980s dance music elements.
[22] The song's success influenced the album strongly, making the band consider what music their new audience should hear, after knowing them only through "Aruku Around".
[19] "Spoon to Ase" was written to be a song that was the complete opposite to "Aruku Around", and featured a strong acoustic guitar sound that mixed folk and electro genres in a similar way to Sakanaction's early music.
[31] As a part of the song's arrangement, it features the sound of drummer Keiichi Ejima and guitarist Motoharu Iwadera thumping their chests like gorillas.
[33] The limited edition version of the single features an additional track, ""Fish Alive Chapter 2" 1 Sequence by 3 Songs: Sakanaquarium 2009 @ Sapporo".
This was a sequel to "Fish Alive" 30min., 1 Sequence by 6 Songs Sakanaquarium 2009 @ Sapporo (2009), a live extended play released on iTunes in the summer of 2009.
The first is found on the bonus DVD compiled on the band's "Identity" (2010) single taken from footage of their Sakanaquarium 2010 concert held at Shinkiba Studio Coast on May 15, 2010.
[43] The song was also compiled as the final track on All Is Love Is All, a mix CD released by DJ Takehiko Hosaka to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Soultoday rock event.
[17][30] Because of copyright restrictions relating to the song's lyrics in Japan, the band could not use the actual cover artwork when promoting the single online or in magazines.
[49][53] The video is a single five-minute shot taken late at night, where Yamaguchi walks past stands displaying pieces of Japanese typographic objects.
[53][54] Additional scenes feature the other band members of Sakanaction, who help display the characters in different ways, such as in a flip book, a computer monitor, a fish tank and conveyor belts.
He discussed wanting to visually express the song's lyrics to the band in an interview, and suggested an idea he previously had learnt about: a camera technique where objects could only be seen from one particular angle.
[53][56] The band gave Seki full creative control over the project, however Yamaguchi requested that the video feature night and dark colors.
[53] Okazaki had difficulty moving between the two locations she appeared in the scene in time, so she had to be transported by a staff member pushing her on a wheel chair.
[64] An analysis of the music video was included in the 2014 edition of Bijitsu 2 (美術2), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology certified textbook for teaching art in Japanese high schools to second year students.
CDJournal reviewers gave the single its star of recommendation, calling it a "killer tune" where the "pleasure of living in the moment" and "prudence" is balanced.
felt that the song had a "gentle electronica feel", praising the 1980s-style synths, aggressive band sound and "unique poetic sentiment" of Yamaguchi's.
[67] Tomoki Takahashi of Rockin' On Japan felt the greatest strength of the song was how its lyrical content jarred with its "high-spirited words" and "explosive hybrid beat".
CDJournal described "Spoon to Ase" as folk and electro blended together, and called the song's "wonderful sound fantasy-like", feeling that the quiet acoustic guitar backing "drifted in sorrow".
They felt that even though Yamaguchi's "low energy" vocals gave "the impression of ennui", the lyrics "hid a quiet strength" that added to the song.
[69][70] Rival sales tracking agency SoundScan Japan found that the vast majority of copies sold were of the single's limited four-track edition.