Iris (American band)

Iris

Company type	Music group
Industry	Music
Founded	1993
Founder	Reagan Jones, Mat Morris
Defunct	2021
Headquarters	United States
Key people	Reagan Jones, Andrew Sega, Matthew Morris
Products	Synthpop music albums and singles

Iris was a synthpop group from the United States, established in 1993 by Reagan Jones and Mat Morris. After releasing their first album, Disconnect, Matthew Morris departed and was succeeded by Andrew Sega, who guided the band toward a more avant-garde electronic sound. Their last album, Six, came out in September 2019. The group officially ended activities in 2021.

History

Originally named Forgiving Iris at inception in 1993, the duo consisted of Reagan Jones (vocals and keyboards) alongside Matt Morris (keyboards and programming). Drawing inspiration from artists such as Erasure and Depeche Mode, they performed primarily in the Austin, Texas area. By 1998, they adopted the name Iris and released Disconnect, which earned them "Best Band" and "Best Album" honors at the American Synthpop Awards in 2000. Their track "Annie, Would I Lie To You?" became one of the most successful releases on the A Different Drum label.

Due to creative differences regarding their musical direction, Morris exited the band. In 2001, Reagan Jones met Andrew Sega through Joel Willard of CTRL. This partnership yielded several experimental tracks such as "Unknown," culminating in the 2003 release of Awakening on Sega's Diffusion Records label. Sega contributed guitars and broadened their electronic experimentation. The 2005 album Wrath featured a heavier sound; its lead single "Appetite" reached number one on mainstream radio charts in Poland, facilitating a European tour that included festivals in Moscow and London.

In 2008, Iris presented Hydra, a combined CD/DVD package containing new material alongside remixes from prominent electronic artists like Mesh and Alpinestars.

Their 2010 release, Blacklight, was issued under Infacted Recordings. After touring across the United States, internal tensions led to a hiatus lasting over a year until Jones revived collaboration by sending demo tracks to Sega.

By 2014, Iris had signed with Dependent Records, releasing Radiant followed by Six in 2019.

The band formally dissolved in September 2021 due to "personal differences," as announced by Dependent Records.

Final line-up

• Reagan Jones – vocals, songwriting, keyboards (1993–2021)
• Andrew Sega – keyboards, guitars, programming, production (2002–2021)

Former members

• Matthew Morris – keyboards, programming, production (1993–2002)
• Marc Schultz – keyboards

Additional touring members

• Ned Kirby (Stromkern) – keyboards, bass
• Brian Pearson – guitars
• Blitz Carthey – drums

Studio albums

• Disconnect (2000)
• Awakening (2003)
• Wrath (2005)
• Blacklight (2010)
• Radiant (2014)
• Six (2019)

Singles & EPs

• Danger Is The Shame (1999)
• Saving Time (1999)
• Annie, Would I Lie To You (1999)
• Lose In Wanting (2000)
• Unknown (2002)
• Appetite (2005)
• It Generates (2006)
• Hell's Coming With Me / Appetite (Remixes) (2006)
• Lands Of Fire 2008 (2008)
• Closer To Real (2010)
• Radiant Turbulence (2014) – collaborative EP with Seabound
• Phenom EP (2014) – featured within the Radiant Complete Edition

Other albums

• Reconnect (2003) – album consisting of remixed tracks from Disconnect
• Hydra (2008) – remix compilation including songs from both Wrath and Awakening, along with three new tracks and a DVD containing interviews and live footage
• Radiant Complete Edition (2014) – special collector’s release of Radiant, comprising two vinyl records, two CDs, and the included Phenom EP
• Six (Luxus) (2019) – limited run of 500 units featuring bonus songs, remixes by guest artists, and an accompanying artbook