NEXT LEVEL is the tenth full-length studio album released by Hamasaki Ayumi. It is the first Japanese album to be released as a USB Memory stick, as well as its releases in 2CD+DVD, CD+DVD, and CD-Only formats. The limited USB version comes with all 14 songs in .mp3 format, a digital booklet in .pdf form, and the six music videos in .mp4 format, all on a 2GB flash drive. The making-of's are not included. The USB version was in high enough demand that avex trax had to release a limited reissue for this format weeks before the album was even released. Sound-wise, NEXT LEVEL represents a shift for Hamasaki from the pop-rock style she used between 2005 to 2008 into a more electro-pop sound relevant for the year 2009. A limited PLAYBUTTON edition of the album was later released on March 21st, 2012.
The album is certified Double Platinum for shipment of 500,000 copies.
