The Lillingtons

Emerging in 1996 from the quiet rural setting of Newcastle, Wyoming, the Lillingtons drew inspiration from energetic acts such as the Ramones, Screeching Weasel, and the Queers. The initial lineup featured Kody Templeman handling vocals and guitar alongside Cory Laurence on bass and Tim O'Hara, also known as Timmy V, on drums, with Zachary Rawhouser later joining on guitar. Their debut effort, the self-released Shit Out of Luck from 1996, paired a straightforward pop-punk sound with youthful lyrics centered on girls and high school life. Following several releases limited to vinyl, however, the members grew weary of heartbreak themes and shifted their lyrical direction.

The next record, Death by Television, arrived in 1999 via the Panic Button label—an imprint of Lookout overseen by Ben Weasel and John Jughead. Mass Giorgini, recognized for his work with Screeching Weasel, Squirtgun, and the Queers, handled production on this set of songs inspired by science-fiction films. NOFX's Fat Mike once described the fan-favorite release as "the best pop-punk album of all time." Extensive touring on the punk circuit alongside groups like Teen Idols helped establish the Lillingtons as underground favorites. Their next effort, the espionage-themed The Backchannel Broadcast, surfaced in February 2001 with Giorgini again at the helm.

The band nevertheless disbanded before the close of that year. After the split, Kody joined the similarly oriented Teenage Bottlerocket, based in Laramie, while Tim relocated to New Mexico to perform with the Eyeliners and later formed his own hardcore group, Stabbed in Back. In 2005 Clearview released the three-CD compilation Technically Unsound, which gathered the out-of-print Shit Out of Luck in both its original form and a fresh Giorgini mix, selections from a 10" split with Nothing Cool, the "Lost My Marbles" 7" tracked by Joe Queer, assorted live recordings, and previously unreleased material intended for the "Stupid World" 7".

An early 2006 reunion led to a partnership with Red Scare, which first reissued Death by Television that June and followed in October with the new album The Too Late Show. The reunion proved brief, after which the members again pursued separate endeavors. Another reformation occurred in 2013, prompting appearances at Riot Fest and occasional shows over subsequent years, among them a late-2015 support slot with the Queers. Early in 2017 came word that Fat Wreck would issue a fresh Lillingtons album titled Stella Sapiente. That record appeared in October of the same year, marking the group's first new material in eleven years.