Influenced by obscure '60s psychedelic rock bands like Fifty Foot Hose and the late-'80s indie post-hardcore scene in D.C., the Vile Cherubs blended the avant-garde of the '60s with the punk bluntness of the '80s. The group broke into the late-'80s D.C. punk club scene, eventually drawing the attention of Ian MacKaye and Dischord Records. They released one full-length with Dischord, Posthumous Relief, in 1990. A collection of demos from 1987-1988, The Man Who Has No Eats Has No Sweats, was released in 1993. Singer Tim Green went on to play guitar in Nation of Ulysses, while Seth Lorinczi later joined Circus Lupus as a bassist and Jesse Quitslund went onto play bass for the Capitol City Dusters. Green and Lorinczi later reunited in Evolution Revolution.