In the late 1980s, as major labels began courting underground alternative rock, Geffen Records signed Nymphs in 1989 to a nearly million-dollar contract. Fronted by Inger Lorre, the band's trajectory toward mainstream success derailed during studio sessions, with production delays mounting due to Lorre's substance abuse and the label's push to redirect her toward a solo career. When manager Tom Zutaut reassigned the album's producer to work on other Geffen acts, Lorre responded to the perceived slight by consuming significant quantities of alcohol and urinating across Zutaut's desk, phone, and personal photographs—a confrontation Zutaut addressed by weeping rather than retaliating.

The band's debut arrived in 1991 just as Nirvana's phenomenal commercial success fundamentally shifted the alternative rock landscape and captured industry marketing attention and resources. Nymphs languished in obscurity as the label's focus shifted, and additional incidents involving Lorre—including onstage conduct controversies and performance refusals—accelerated the band's dissolution by 1992. The solo career that Geffen had championed from the outset eventually succeeded, with Lorre collaborating with notable artists and releasing work that earned critical appreciation before her death in 2024.