The Throwing Muses were signed to 4AD, the first American group to be signed on the British label, and released the EP "Chains Changed" in 1987. Two releases followed, the mini-LP "The Fat Skier" and the album "House Tornado". The 4AD Throwing Muses biography describes its sound at the time as "... joining the dots between elliptical post-punk, harmonious folk jangle and rockabilly thunder without ever settling into standard genre patterns." For the Throwing Muses 1986 UK tour, the Boston-based Pixies, embarking on their first European tour, was the opening band.