This Mortal Coil was a musical dream pop project of Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British 4AD Records label. The project brought together key 4AD artists, as well as others not signed to the label, under an umbrella name. Among others, This Mortal Coil featured contributions from Howard Devoto, Colourbox, Dead Can Dance and, pivotally, Cocteau Twins. Between 1983 and 1991 This Mortal Coil released three albums—It'll End in Tears, Filigree & Shadow, and Blood—each of which consists largely of atmospheric interpretations of songs by 1970s artists such as Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Roy Harper, Gene Clark, and Tim Buckley.

Two tracks from the first album, It'll End In Tears, feature vocals by Elizabeth Fraser of the Scottish group Cocteau Twins, who also recorded for 4AD. The more well-known of these is the ethereal cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren", which created considerable renewed interest in Buckley at a time when his albums were not widely available.

The name "This Mortal Coil" is drawn from William Shakespeare's Hamlet and is a poetic expression referring to the earthly condition.