The Lillingtons are one of my favorite bands and I was really happy when at this year´s Punk Rock Holiday we got the chance to interview Kody in an unusual but awesome interview. Read here!

We are here with Kody from The Lillingtons and the talk of the day is your new album Stella Sapiente. If I am correct it means Wisdom of the Stars?

Yeah, exactly.

The new album is way different for me as a listener from your previous material. It is darker, grittier, but with some pop influenced melodic undertones lying beneath it all. So, can you tell me where did you draw the inspiration for that darker, grittier sound?

I don´t know, I think it was just, the older I got, with time I got more interested in heavier music, we were kinda being used to being known for being pop punk band. I think it just kinda got old for us, like our heart wasn´t in it anymore. When we did this record, we were like, let´s do something new, that we can get started on.

I really loved it. Compared to your older material, for me it is way better because I like that dirtier, darker sound, there are almost some Satanic, ritual undertones in there.

Yeah, indeed!

Is there some deeper philosophy or concept behind the lyrics?

Yeah, there is meaning behind lot of the lyrics. There is some Satanic undertones, couple of us practice black magic and stuff.

Are you into LaVeyan Satanism, all the Church of Satan stuff?

I think LaVey is good!

Yeah, LaVey and his works are really great inspiration for me. I studied really all of his works.

Yeah, I like that stuff, it´s definitely when I got into it I was introduced through stuff like LaVey and I just kept reading about different things, I just kinda take what makes sense to me.

Your album is just way different than the other bands from Fat Wreck Chords catalog, your new album is more original sounding than many other bands on the label. It´s not pop punk, it´s not melodic hardcore, it´s, how should I put it, The Lillingtons sound. You also did a video for Insect Nightmares and it is a very spooky video, you starred in that video and I really loved, I also love the opening melodic theme riff from that song.

That´s cool man!

I read somewhere that you are afraid of insects, like bugs and stuff, they really terrify me!

I´m not a big fan of bugs and when we shot that video, we used like real cockroaches and all kinds of shit. The other guys had that idea for the video, before I came down. I am like 40 minutes away from the place we did it and they told me, hey we went to the pet store and we got some cockroaches, we got this and that, and we got giant spider and I said take the fuckin spider back, or I´m not coming!

So, those are all real life bugs, not some special cgi effects?

No, those are all real live bugs! That was pretty weird.

Some people connect you to horrorpunk scene. Did you ever feel yourselves as a part of the horrorpunk scene?

I don´t know, I don´t really get horrorpunk, I mean I know what it is, I know there´s bands like Horrorpops and shit like that, I don´t know if that´s considered part of it or not, I love The Misfits, I think they˙re the best!

I like Blitzkid too! They´re from Virginia, but are now defunct as a band, Goolsby and TB doing their solo stuff and playing with other bands.

Yeah, cool!

You also have some Lovecraftian inspired lyrics on the record, this is my favorite horror writer, I really studied his work, I also love all the authors from Lovecraftian circle like August Derleth and Clark Ashton Smith, I am big fan of the cosmic horror concept and philosophy of the Ancient Ones and Older Ones, so you also love that stuff?

Yeah, there are some people that believe Lovecraft was tapping into something more through his stories, that he was like tapping into different dimensions.

Exactly, Robert E. Howard also believed that he was a living transmitter between the dimensions like between the Hyperborean Age and our dimension.

Yeah, him too!

So, are you into horror movies? I personally prefer older stuff, like Hammer Horror Pictures?

Yeah, I like all of that stuff! What was that movie The Devil Rides In?

I think you mean The Devil Rides Out.

Yes, that one is great!

I used to run a web  page dedicated to horror movies and all horror culture and I believe that most of the nowadays, how should I put it, commercial horror movies for wide audiences that are playing in the cinema, lost the magic and lost the vibe. I mean, they look nice with all the effects but in the end there is no vibe and real horror in there.

There is definitely a lot more character in the old ones.

This is the second leg of your European tour, you were here in June, and now you´re back for the second time?

We came over for six or seven dates the first time. We are in Europe for the first tour.

How was the feedback on the tour?

It was actually pretty good, all the shows were great!

I saw you play here last year with Teenage Bottlerocket and it was one of the most emotional moments for me when you played Tony Sly´s Via Munich for Brandon and for Tony.

Ray grew up with Brandon and they were part of each other´s lives and to lose him, I don´t think I can imagine all the pain.

I also lost a younger sister and my Mom died from grief afterwards so I can imagine how Ray felt.

One last question, are there any urban legends in Wyoming where you are from that you could perhaps share with us?

Fuck, I don´t know really. I don´t think there is anything, like Jersey Devil type of stuff, you know? I´m not sure, I do like the Mothman legend, though, the story behind all that stuff is just awesome.

Thank you very much Kody! We are really looking forward to your show later on!

Thanks, see you at the show!