Nirgilis
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder | Moyo Satake, Kōki Itō |
| Headquarters | Japan |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
| Website | nirgilis |
, presented as NIRGILIS, is a Japanese band specializing in electronic rock, established in 1993 by Moyo Satake and Kōki Itō. In 1995, Acchu Iwata, Minoru Kurihara, and Yuki Inadera became part of the lineup. The founding members Satake and Itō exited the group in 2004 and 2007, respectively, leaving the band without its original creators. By 2014, all remaining musicians had also left. The ensemble made a comeback in 2021 with the singles nyan and Action!. Their management was handled by AMG Music, a subsidiary of .
History
Nirgilis originated in 1993 when Moyo Satake and Kōki Itō, both attending Kinki University, formed the band. Two years later, in 1995, Acchu Iwata, Minoru Kurihara, and Yuki Inadera joined the group. Their debut single "Soprano" was released on December 10, 2002, followed by the singles "Thunder" and "Odoremi"/"Secret" throughout 2003. Their first album, titled Tennis, was launched on April 30, 2003. Later that year, they issued the single "Schneider at Midnight."
The distinctive silhouette of a young girl appeared initially on the cover of the Tennis album and was inspired by model Dani Odom (formerly Kayla Kessel).
In 2004, they put out the single "King"/"Ice Skating for Life"/"Lemon," then released the album Newstandard on May 26, which featured contributions from experimental artist Hoppy Kamiyama and techno producer Ken Ishii. July saw the release of Herbest Moon’s remixes of "Odoremi." December of that year marked Moyo Satake’s departure from the band.
By June 2005, Nirgilis had signed with DefStar Records. That year’s sole release was the single "Mairebo," which came out in October.
On January 29, 2006, their track "sakura" was selected as the opening theme for the anime series Eureka Seven, with its single release following on March 1. They performed at Sony Music Festival events in both Tokyo and Osaka during that year. The song "SNOW KISS" served as the initial ending theme for the anime D.Gray-man, which premiered in October 2006. Alongside this, they released singles "24 Searchlights" and "SNOW KISS," as well as their album BOY.
The album GIRL was unveiled on February 21, 2007, followed by the single "Update" in March. September saw Kōki Itō leaving the group; subsequently, their October release "Brand New Day" became their first record without any founding members involved.
In March 2008, Nirgilis appeared at Houston’s Anime Matsuri from the 21st to the 23rd and launched their album ChkChkChk during this event. Their song "kiseki" was chosen as the opening theme for the anime Birdy the Mighty Decode:02 starting December 31, 2008; it was issued as a single on March 4, 2009. The album RGB followed soon after on April 8.
Acchu Iwata announced via Facebook on October 25, 2014, that all members had stepped down from Nirgilis activities, effectively disbanding the group.
On June 29, 2021, updates appeared on nirgilis.net introducing two new tracks and confirming that original members Moyo Satake and Kōki Itō had reunited with Acchu Iwata.
Members
- Moyo Satake (1993–2004, 2021–)
- Kōki Itō (1993–2007, 2021–)
- Acchu Iwata (1995–2014, 2021–)
- Minoru Kurihara (1995–2014)
- Yuki Inadera (1995–2014)
Albums
- Tennis (2003)
- Newstandard (2004)
- BOY (2006)
- GIRL (2007)
- ChkChkChk (2008)
- RGB (2009)
- Chukuri (2014)
Singles
- Soprano (2002)
- Thunder (2003)
- Odoremi/Secret (2003)
- Schneider at Midnight (2003)
- King/Ice Skating for Life/Lemon (2004)
- Odoremi Remix (2004)
- Mairebo (2005)
- sakura (2006)
- 24 Searchlights (2006)
- SNOW KISS (2006)
- Update (2007)
- Brand New Day (2007)
- kiseki (2009)
- Shiny Shiny (2011)
- Nyan Hikari (2021)
- Action! (2021)
- Rhapsody in the Starry Night (2021)
- Emo na Kakumei (2022)