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Artist

The Pillows

The Pillows is an act on the Starverb influence map. Their sound grew out of Pixies. Those roots explain a lot about how The Pillows arrange songs and choose their tones. They run in the same orbit as NUMBER GIRL, BEAT CRUSADERS, Ellegarden, Polkadot Stingray and 9mm Parabellum Bullet, sharing audiences, venues and reference points rather than a straight line of influence. Their influence carried into Ellegarden, Last Dinosaurs, Mr. Children, Noodles and Galileo Galilei, where the same ideas turn up rearranged for a later generation. Altogether the chart holds 15 connections around The Pillows, reaching back through Pixies and forward to Ellegarden. Follow any of those threads to keep travelling the influence between bands and genres on Starverb.

Background

The Pillows were a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Hokkaido in 1989. Originally a quartet, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Sawao Yamanaka, lead guitarist Yoshiaki Manabe and drummer Shinichiro Sato continued the band as a trio for another 33 years, following the departure of bassist Kenji Ueda in 1992. They are best known in the West for providing the soundtrack for the anime series FLCL. The Pillows suddenly announced their disbandment at the end of January 2025, and Sato died from cancer in March 2026.

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Roots — what shaped themLegacy — who they shapedKindred — same orbit
The PillowsPixiesEllegardenLast DinosaursMr. ChildrenNoodlesGalileo Galilei9mm Parabellum BulletClarionNUMBER GIRLBEAT CRUSADERSEllegardenPolkadot Stingray9mm Parabellum BulletZAZEN BOYSThe Brilliant Green

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The Pillows connections

The Pillows grew out of Pixies, shares an orbit with NUMBER GIRL, BEAT CRUSADERS, Ellegarden and Polkadot Stingray, went on to shape Ellegarden, Last Dinosaurs, Mr. Children and Noodles. 15 connections mapped across roots, kindred and legacy.

Who influenced The Pillows

Roots1

Sounds and acts that shaped The Pillows.

Artists similar to The Pillows

Kindred7

Artists and scenes sharing an orbit with The Pillows.

Bands The Pillows shaped

Legacy7

Where the influence of The Pillows travelled next.

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