Helium is essentially the project of Mary Timony, formerly of the girl punk band Autoclave. Helium formed in 1992 with Brian Dunton on bass and Shawn King Devlin and started releasing 7"s like 1993's The American Jean. 1994 saw the band release the Pirate Prude EP, an interesting but somewhat inaccessible exercise in mixing radical feminism with punk rock. The Dirt of Luck, released in 1995, was an improvement and embellishment of the sound laid forth in Pirate Prude: Heavy, sluggish guitars, spooky keyboards, and Timony's breathy alto laid over an understated rhythm section. That year, Polvo's Ash Bowie also joined the lineup, replacing Dunton on bass. In 1997, the group returned with the No Guitars EP. Helium is a challenging listen but also a rewarding one. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
Helium were an Americanindie rock group formed (as Chupa) in the summer of 1992 by Mary Lou Lord, Jason Hatfield (Juliana's brother), Shawn King Devlin (drums) and Brian Dunton (electric bass guitar).[1] Devlin and Dunton were both also in the band Dumptruck at the time. Mary Timony (electric guitar and vocals, formerly of the band Autoclave) was recruited after Mary Lou was reluctant to go electric. After Hatfield left the band, they changed the name to Helium. Timony became known for her Lolita-esque image (e.g. short schoolgirl skirts and hairstyle) and naughty lyrics, much like Helium's then-labelmate Liz Phair. She was also known for her fairly husky, vibrato-less, monotone singing style.
Their first release was a 7" single entitled "The American Jean" (1993), which was followed by the 7" "Hole in the Ground." They released their first EP, Pirate Prude, in 1994. Shortly after the release of Pirate Prude, Dunton left the band and Polvo guitarist Ash Bowie (boyfriend of Timony at the time) joined on bass. In 1995, they released their first full-length release, The Dirt of Luck, and played the second stage of Lollapalooza. Two of the band's music videos ("Pat's Trick" and "XXX") were critiqued by MTV's animated teen pundits Beavis and Butt-head. Adam Lasus produced and engineered The Dirt of Luck, Pirate Prude, and all the singles up to 1995.
In 1997, the group released the EP No Guitars before releasing their second album, The Magic City. They toured the United States in early 1998 and disbanded shortly thereafter in 1998. Timony began a solo career and Bowie released an album of old four-track recordings under the name Libraness.
