the pillows Disbands After 35 Years

In a statement on their official site posted on February 1st in Japan, rock band the pillows, who broke through in the US after being featured in the FLCL anime OVA series have decided to definitively break up and go their separate ways after 35 years. A translation of the statement is featured below.

The group formed in Hokkaido in 1989 and were a part of the early Japanese alternative rock scene, but unlike their contemporaries who saw early Western success thanks to American bands and influence, the pillows forged a path almost exclusively limited to Japan until 2002, when the US license and release of the FLCL OVA led to the group being exposed to an American audience that ended up deeply appreciating the band, going as far as being booked for their first ever US appearances during the mid 2000s.

the pllows crossover success with FLCL in the West didn’t just stop at the first OVA series, as the band returned to provide the soundtrack to additional FLCL seasons in Progressive and Alternative, although the shows themselves were markedly less popular than the series that turned the band into an anime fandom staple in the 2000s. While the pllows are more than the band that was featured in an unexpectedly beloved anime OVA, they will be sorely missed by that same fandom for their catchy songs and solid pop leanings.