The Hope Blister was an ambient band founded by Ivo Watts-Russell, head of the 4AD Records label. The band was something of a continuation of the This Mortal Coil project, but with a fixed line-up on ...smile's OK and focusing on cover versions. Following the Underarms remix project, a second album of covers with vocals by Momus' Nick Currie had been posited, but Ivo's retirement from the music business brought The Hope Blister project to an end.