Insides

Ambient pop duo Insides teamed singer/bassist Kirsty Yates and guitarist/programmer Julian Tardo, who previously joined forces under the name Earwig. Signing to 4AD's Guernica imprint, the duo debuted in 1993 with the disquieting Euphoria; a year later, label chief Ivo Watts-Russell issued Clear Skin (consisting of a single 38-minute ambient piece) without Insides' permission, and the group parted ways with the company soon after.

Landing on the Third Stone label, in 1997 they contributed a track to the A Taste of Third Stone Records Vol. 2 sampler, next resurfacing in mid-2000 with the full-length Sweet Tip.

Their icy electronic pop explores the darkest corners of love and sex. Their songs capture the emptiness and hostility that surface when the afterglow fades, ugly scenes punctuated by eruptions of violence, waves of self-loathing and caresses that are cold to the touch.