"Pale Blue" was written after three rejections, and Yonezu said it was "the most difficult time in [his] career to date".

[3] On April 30, 2021, the jacket artwork, said by Yonezu to depict "the moment of falling in love", was released and a special website was opened.

[5] Additionally, to coincide with the advance release of "Pale Blue", distribution of Yonezu's past songs began on TikTok.

Yamada had previously directed the music videos for "Lemon", "Uma to Shika", and "Campanella".

According to music journalist Tomonori Shiba, the chords and melody have elements of modern jazz, and the groove is physically pleasing.

[14] Music journalist Tomonori Shiba said that the important point of "Shinigami" was that "of course, there is rakugo, but it starts with the 'sound of footsteps' and ends with the 'sound of blowing out candle flames' and there are other sounds ... that accompany one's physicality".

[19] The following week, "Pale Blue" again topped the Download Songs, and ranked third in the Japan Hot 100.

[20] "Pale Blue" was certified Platinum for the physical release and Gold for digital sales by the Recording Industry Association of Japan in June 2022.