Hey Kody - thanks for taking the time! It’s been only a couple days since the release of „Stella Sapiente“. How do you feel about the finished product? How were the reactions to the record (if any) or the singles you introduced prior to its release so far?
There is a pretty mysterious, spacey vibe that continues throughout quite a bunch of songs on the record. How (long) did you actually work on the new material until you knew there would be another full length?
We actually wrote all the songs in the order they appear on the album. We started with Golden Dawn/ Knights Templar and just wrote one after another. When we had the first 8 or 9 songs (demos) we sent them to Fat and got the green light to book studio time and then finished the rest.
„Villagers“ or „Zodiac“ remind me of 80’s wave or classic surf punk. What artist or record would you say influenced THE LILLINGTONS the most?
There are many, but for those songs I would say we were inspired by 80s music like Pat Benatar, The Cars, Billy Idol. We grew up listening to that stuff and we still do.
Lyrically, „Stella“ is not necessarily what you would expect from a Ramones-inspired (pop)punk record –but it works out 100% for THE LILLINGTONS. Can you share some personal thoughts in regards to the inspiration for the lyrics on „Stella“?
The lyrics came from stuff that we're interested in. I love talking conspiracy theories with people. Whether you believe any of it or not, it's really interesting to hear people's thoughts on that stuff. Tim and I have studied and dabbled in the Occult and some of the songs are a reflection of that. The deeper you dig into some of that stuff, the more you see parallels with the conspiracy theories. So we tried to tie it all together.
What was the musical apporach like when you were putting together ideas for a new LILLINGTONS record? Did you ever have to „adjust“ your songwriting?
No. We would either start with an idea and work the song around it, or start with the music and write about whatever vibe we got from that.
„K6“ sounds like a typical poppy and catchy tune that could easily be part of „Death By Television“ or „The Too Late Show“ whereas „Night Visions“ or „Cult Of Dagon“ have a much darker, more intense, almost „surf-goth“ character. Is there an explanation for the more diverse vibe on „Stella Sapiente“?
I've been a fan of a lot of post punk stuff for a long time and I've always wanted to try to write songs like that. We were going for a Cure/Sisters of Mercy thing with those songs. It was fun to try to write something that was way out of our wheel house.
Was asking Fat Wreck to release „Stella“ a no-brainer – or did other labels show interest? What made you choose Fat Wreck Chords?
Fat has always kind of poked around with releasing an album. We decided to go with them on this one because we felt it was some of our best work and we wanted to have a recording budget to get the sounds we wanted for the album
Is it likely for THE LILLINGTONS to turn into a more or less full-time band again with a new record and some (ok, two) upcoming live dates? Can we expect to see the band in Europe any time soon?
We'll definitely be a lot more active than we have been. We want to promote the album for Fat.
I find myself checking out a lot of new music while going running. What environment do you suggest for fans who are looking to give „Stella“ a first spin?
I like listening to albums when I'm driving for a few hours. If you really want to get weird, light some candles and kill the lights.
Thanks a lot Kody!
