The Hope Blister

The Hope Blister were an ambient band active from 1997 to 1999. The band was directed by 4AD Records founder Ivo Watts-Russell, with the music played by singer Louise Rutkowski, bass player Laurence O'Keefe and string arranger Audrey Riley.

The band grew out of the This Mortal Coil project, but with a fixed line-up and focused on cover versions. They released two albums, ...Smile's OK in 1998 and Underarms (featuring vocals by Momus) in 1999, with the band splitting that year following Watts-Russell's retirement from the music industry. An expanded version of Underarms was released in 2005 as Underarms and Sideways, featuring a bonus disc of remixes.