刹那
The first confirmed performance of 刹那 was on May 31 and its last known performance was on September 15, 1997. By October 28, the song was heavily reworked, but still retained its original title, as seen on that day's setlist and in its live report, both published in SHOXX #59 (January 1998). The first published use of "Unknown…Despair…a Lost" as the song's title can be found in SHOXX #62 (April 1998), on the setlist for January 14, 1998.
It seems that at one point, this song was called 新曲6 (Shinkyoku 6) ("New Song 6"). It was either between March and June 1997, as the song was written by the band along with the other five new songs and was already called 刹那 in June 1997, or before it was renamed into Unknown…Despair…a Lost at the end of 1997. In FOOL'S MATE #198 (April 1998), the interviewer asks about 新曲6. Kaoru explains that he felt the need to change the title because the song had changed too much. Taking the date of the interview into account, he was most likely talking about 刹那. However, it's unknown why the interviewer would still call it 新曲6 and not 刹那. As there's currently no other known mention of 新曲6, the exact circumstances of this name are nebulous.
In Bandやろうぜ (July 1998), Kaoru reiterates that Unknown…Despair…a Lost is the remade version of a song that previously existed. This was confirmed years later by Shinya in the MINERVA -THE UNRAVELING- photobook, published in 2013. In 2020, Kaoru used the setlist of the June 14, 1997 live, where this song was performed, as a t-shirt design. This marks the first known time the song was publicly recognised by a band member since their indies days, aside from Shinya's aforementioned explanation in 2013.
You can listen to the May 31, 1997, performance of the song here.
Trivia
Title Variants
| Title | Release |
|---|---|
| 新曲6 | – |
| Unknown…Despair…a Lost | JEALOUS (1998) |