Throwing Muses (40th Anniversary)

Throwing Muses’ self-titled debut returns for its fortieth anniversary, revisiting the 1986 album whose jarring time signatures and visceral emotion helped lay the groundwork for American alternative rock.

The first American band signed to 4AD, Throwing Muses caught founder Ivo Watts-Russell’s attention when he heard their self-released Doghouse Cassette while stuck in traffic. “The music was hard and aggressive, but the more you lived with it, the more their beauty came through,” he recalled.

Rooted in the Boston and New England underground, the band helped open a new chapter for the label. Their network led Watts-Russell to the Pixies, while the wider creative family would encompass Kristin Hersh’s solo work, 50 Foot Wave, Belly and The Breeders.

This anniversary reissue includes an indie-exclusive Oxblood vinyl edition, alongside standard LP and CD editions.

Side A

1. Call Me
2. Green
3. Hate My Way
4. Vicky’s Box
5. Rabbits Dying

Side B

1. America (She Can’t Say No)
2. Fear
3. Stand Up
4. Soul Soldier
5. Delicate Cutters