The Washington, D.C.-based indie pop band the Ropers was formed in 1991 by singer Doug Bailey and guitarist Mike Hammel, students at the University of Maryland who quit school after two years to begin making music. They soon recruited drummer Alex Hacker, whom both Bailey and Hammel knew from their brief stint in the Lilys; with bassist Greg Pavlovcak, the Ropers recorded their debut single, the 1992 Slumberland label release "Sunbathe," soon followed by "I Don't Mind.