After Hatfield departed from the band, their name was changed to "Helium" and his position was not replaced; thus, the lineup of Devlin, Dunton, and Timony remained as a trio.

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.

Adam Lasus produced and engineered The Dirt of Luck, Pirate Prude, and all of Helium's singles up to 1995.

This album featured synths and analog drum machine sounds, as opposed to their previous guitar-centered releases.

Commenting on the band's new direction, in an interview with the Boston Phoenix in 1997, Timony said: "It seemed natural for a girl my age to be expressing anger in music.

Matador Records reissued the band's two albums in March 2017, along with a new collection of rarities titled Ends With And.