Andrew Butler began his musical career at 15, DJing in a Denver leather bar run by a hostess called Chocolate Thunder Pussy. He then moved to New York, in order to attend Sarah Lawrence College. According to Butler: "I’ve been writing songs since childhood. I made music for dance performances in college (where he studied under Martin Goldray), like a remake of Gino Soccio’s ‘Runaway’ done in the style of Kraftwerk."

His band Hercules And Love Affair made its live debut on May 17, 2008, at the Studio B venue in Brooklyn, New York, before going on a European and North American tour.

The first single "Blind", co-written by and featuring guest Antony Hegarty (lead vocalist in Antony & The Johnsons), was awarded Best Song of 2008 by Pitchfork Media and came in at sixth place in Resident Advisor's Top 30 tracks of that year. The follow-up "You Belong" featured the New York-based vocalist and musician Nomi Ruiz.