It'll End in Tears

It'll End in Tears is the first album released by 4AD collective This Mortal Coil, a loose grouping of artists brought together by label boss Ivo Watts-Russell, released on 8 October 1984. The album features many of the artists on the label's roster, including Cocteau Twins, Cindytalk, Dead Can Dance and Colourbox.

Howard Devoto of Magazine sang "Holocaust", one of two covers of songs from Big Star's 1978 album Third/Sister Lovers; the other Big Star cover, album opener "Kangaroo" was released as a single and both helped to re-popularized the then forgotten band. Two key songs were performed by Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins, including a cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren", released as This Mortal Coil's debut single a year before the album.

4AD recorded two further This Mortal Coil albums: Filigree & Shadow (1986) and Blood (1991), although neither were met with the same critical acclaim, sales numbers or cult status.