After two solo albums, ex-Hüsker Dü guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould formed Sugar in 1992, with David Barbe (Bass) and Malcolm Travis (drums, percussions). The band signed with Rykodisc in the U.S., Creation in the U.K.
Sugar's first album, Copper Blue, was released in the fall of 1992. It was the most successful album by Sugar. In the spring of 1993, Sugar released the mini-LP Beaster, a more abrasive collection than Copper Blue that was recorded at the same sessions. The album, File Under: Easy Listening, appeared in the fall of 1994. Although it received good reviews, it didn't match the performance of Copper Blue. A collection of rarities and B-sides was released in summer 1995, before Mould broke up the band in Fall and began to work on a third solo album.