It was released as a double A-side single alongside the song "Poppin' Apathy" on October 23, 2013, by Universal Signma, on the same day that Yonezu's two self-released Vocaloid albums, Hanataba to Suisō and Official Orange, were re-issued by independent label Boundee by SSNW.
[8] "Mad Head Love" was "positive" and "high tension", while "Poppin' Apathy" was written as a gloomy, negative song by Yonezu.
[8][9] "Mad Head Love" also features Masaki Hori, drummer for Sapporo-based band Scam Circle, and Yu Sato, the bassist for U&Design and a support member for Nona Reeves.
[8] "Mad Head Love" was written about Yonezu's feelings when composing music, and gave the song a theme of "communication friction.
[12] "Mad Head Love" and "Poppin' Apathy" were first aired on the JFM radio show Yamada Hisashi ni Radian Limited F on September 14, 2013.
Yonezu is shown performing different instruments such as a red Fender Telecaster electric guitar and a keyboard, as well as holding a recording device and listening through headphones.
[11] Other scenes show strange moving contraptions, such as one that turns a toy horse around, or a golden crane that drops a plastic fish onto a plate.
He praised the "positive and negative" theme of the single, and was impressed by the constantly changing melody and "intricately constructed band sound" of "Mad Head Love", along with its literary lyrics, calling it "modern pop music".
He was also impressed at the B-side "Tori ni Demo Naritai," noting how the "strange twisty sound" evoked both scariness and cuteness.