Constant Lovers' full length True Romance (out October 4) is girthy, driven, guitar formed rock. The songs are brawny and live, standing perfectly imperfect. It's music made for volume and swinging sledgehammers about. Producer Chris Common (These Arms Are Snakes, Pelican, Minus the Bear) dials the sounds of Red Room Studios, knowing where to tuck and untuck frequencies, letting the songs breathe, but giving them a vaulted ceiling. Constant Lovers are singer/guitarist Joel Cuplin, drummer Mike Horgan, bassist Gavin Tull-esterbrook, and guitarist Eric Fisher. True Romance is a definitive, developed step up for their recorded sound. Standout track "Eye for an Eye" heaves itself down an open road in explosive pulses. Bent minor guitar lines grow into the thighs of the song like vines through a ripped window screen. The bass is quartered and tenderized like a cut of tenderloin (the Cadillac of beef)—it lodges into your chest cavity and lives there, pumping blood. Cuplin's caterwaul vocals look out over the song like a gargoyle—devilish, limestone screams. Cuplin and I spoke about real love and RealDolls.

What constitutes true romance? Real love?

I think our cover art explains it all. It's a graphite drawing on paper titled Fingering (Sweet Butter) by the great Eric Yahnker.

Are you a romantic person? What's something romantic you've done?

I've found that when a dude has been home all day doing nothing, and his lady has been slaving away all day at work, the very best thing you can do is make sure that when she comes home, you are cooking her a delicious meal in the nude. Completely naked. She will be so overwhelmed with joy, she'll forget that you forgot to take out the trash and feed the cat. You have to make sure dinner is amazing, though.

Do you believe in love songs? What's your favorite love song?

I am obsessed with love songs. Right now it's "Take Care" by Beach House. Teen Dream is a truly great record.

What's the strangest way you've ever had sex?

My girlfriend's dad is going to read this.

Have you ever had sex with a gimp ball in your mouth?

I'm not really sure what a gimp ball is, but have you ever seen Jawbreaker? In the movie, a few girls kidnap a friend of theirs as a practical joke, and of course things go haywire. One girl jams a big jawbreaker into the victim's mouth and tapes it shut. It's curtains for the friend. High jinks ensue.

Have you ever wanted to own a RealDoll? On their website it says: "Our dolls feature completely articulated skeletons which allow for anatomically correct positioning, an exclusive blend of the best silicone rubbers for an ultra flesh-like feel... we offer... 10 female body types and 16 interchangeable female faces." They cost five grand.

I had no idea these things existed. I guess it doesn't really surprise me, though. I know it can be hard for some dudes to find a date, and I myself have gone through some pretty lonely periods, but to resort to buying a $5,000 doll to have sex with is one of the creepiest things I've ever heard of. Seems like a weird catalyst for rapists and murderers. Did you check out the accessories? You can get an extra set of teeth for $50 in case you get too wild and break the teeth out of your new sex buddy. For $200 you can get a secondhand doll kit to clean/repair a doll that you have purchased used!! What the fuck?! A RealDoll is something I cannot get behind. Gross.

In the FAQs it says: "Q: How does sex feel with a RealDoll? A: When penetrated, a vacuum is formed inside the doll's entries which provides a powerful suction effect. This effect is strongest in the RealDoll's oral entry. Some of RealDoll's users have reported intense orgasms due to this specific feature. If you are especially interested in oral sex with your doll, we recommend faces with larger mouths such as the faces 12 (Britney) and 16 (Gabrielle)."

Lets get into the RealDolls a bit here. What would you name your RealDoll? What would be your body type? Walk me through a day you'd have with your RealDoll.

I think I've gotten into the RealDolls as much as my heart will allow. Not sure if the weird feeling in my stomach is from the dolls or if it's because I just ate way too much dried fruit.

Your album sounds amazing. Talk about your explosive sounds.

I really have no idea how Chris got the drums to sound so big. We recorded it at the Red Room, and the live room there is pretty small. There is definitely something magic about that space.

How were the sessions?

The sessions were great. We only spent five days in the studio, so we didn't have time to lose focus. The songs were all recorded live to two-inch tape with very little overdubbing, and my vocals were also recorded live with the band in the same room as the drums.

What amp did you record with?

I had the great pleasure of using a Verellen amp. When I figure out how to make money fall from the sky, I'm gonna rush on over to Ben [Verellen]'s shop and have him build me a new amp. I don't know what kind of voodoo he puts into those things, but his amps sound insane.

What was it like working with Chris? What did he do to help y'all realize the end result?

We chose to go with Chris because we knew he would give the level of attention to the drums that we needed. Being a great drummer himself, he understands how to make a drum kit sing on tape. He also drum teched for us and took the time to make sure all our drums were tuned up for optimal radness. We did some percussion overdubs on a couple songs, and he would start rolling the tape and jump in the room and whack on stuff with us. He just understood what we were going for right off the bat and knew what to do to make the record sound exciting.

How do you do that with your vocals? You must have strong neck muscles. Laryngitis much?

In high school in Alaska, I had a job as a crossing guard to keep tourists from wandering blindly into the street. Part of my duties was to yell at old people and tell them to use the crosswalk like sensible adults. I couldn't let anyone get hit by a dump truck. Since then, it's been part of my routine to have some time set aside each week to do yelling. It's extremely therapeutic and helps me maintain my cool demeanor. After yelling almost continuously for three days in the studio, I almost lost my voice. I think my regimen of tequila and wine coolers kept my throat in relatively good shape.

Who are your favorite vocalists?

Kurt Cobain, David Yow, Michael Gira, James Brown, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Justin Timberlake, and Victoria Legrand—to name a few.

What pisses you off?

I want to be eating candy right now, but I opted for the healthier choice and am eating dried fruit pieces instead. I should be eating nothing. Nothing rules.

What makes you happy?

Candy and nothing.

Does anything that makes you happy also piss you off?

Candy. I love it, but it makes me fat.