The Hope Blister

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The Hope Blister was an ambient band active from 1997 to 1999. It was led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of 4AD, and featured Louise Rutkowski on vocals, Laurence O'Keefe on bass, and Audrey Riley as string arranger. The group grew out of the This Mortal Coil project but kept a fixed lineup and mostly did cover versions. They released two albums: ...Smile's OK in 1998 and Underarms in 1999 (with vocals by Momus). The band split in 1999 after Watts-Russell retired from the music industry. In 2005, an expanded version of Underarms was released as Underarms and Sideways, including a bonus disc of remixes.