In the early 90s, Sugar became one of the most powerful names in alternative rock, led by Bob Mould – an iconic figure in the rock scene at the time. His signature sound, overloaded with volume and energy, was the heart of the band.
“When we played live, I felt enveloped by this wall of sound,” recalls bassist David Barbe. “Bob was so loud that I often saw the drummer but couldn’t hear him.”
Even drummer Malcolm Travis himself admits that the volumes were extreme: "At first I didn't use earplugs. I soon realized it was impossible otherwise."
However, Sugar was not just noise. Their debut album Copper Blue (1992) combined rock aggression with strong melodies and pop structures, giving the band unexpected critical and commercial success for an artist who had until then been on the underground scene.
Mould wrote the material at a time when alternative rock was bursting into the mainstream, following the success of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. But Mould himself wasn't at the center of this wave—he was on its periphery, struggling to survive artistically after the breakup of his previous band Hüsker Dü.
Despite his isolation, he continued to write and experiment. A key moment came when he joined the label Creation Records and was inspired by My Bloody Valentine's album Loveless, which profoundly influenced his sonic aesthetic.
Together with Barbe and Travis, Mould formed Sugar and quickly realized that they were not just backing musicians, but a real band. The album Copper Blue was received with great enthusiasm, winning important awards and bringing the group international success.
But after the peak, the pressure increased. The Beaster EP and then the second album showed a darker and more tense side of the band. At that time, the climate of alternative rock also changed: fame, industry and media exposure were no longer the same.
In April 1994, during the recording of their second album, news of Kurt Cobain's suicide shocked the music scene. For Mould, it was a turning point. "We stopped everything. There was no point in continuing," he says.
After several subsequent attempts and one final tour, Sugar disbanded in the mid-90s. Mould pursued a successful solo career, while the other members devoted themselves to academic or musical projects and work.
Now, more than three decades later, the band has reunited for tours of the US and Europe and has recorded two new songs. But Mould sees the reunion as more of a reflective experience than a new beginning.
“When I was in the 90s, I was just thinking about how to keep this thing alive,” he says. “Today I just want to enjoy it, something I couldn’t do back then.” /GazetaExpress/
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