Pre-Cafe Drugs with HELENA RATS

Rock 'n roll rippers Helena Rats are in the house this week! The band's May release "Plague City" embraces the rich possibilities of fast, heavy-tinged guitar music without pretension—though not without an accessible complexity that rewards the true heads. Diego and Jeff from the band pop in to talk about the new tunes, drink-to-performance ratios, the cocktail of ingredients that make up their sound (hint: the 70s play a role), the languages of rock shorthand, and the simpler times of their teenage fandom.

Music this week:

• "Grab the Shovel" by Helena Rats (13:01)
• "Time Out" by Stuck (36:05)
• "Bombit Baby" by Helena Rats (52:04)
• "Night Terrors" by Altar Girl (67:06)
• "Somebody Put PCP in My Clam Chowder" by Xray Xeroxx (92:29)