However, considering that Rid of Me was to be her major label debut, a double album ended up being a move that neither Harvey nor Island wanted to make.

[1] Harvey explained the reason for releasing this record to Filter magazine in a 2004 interview: "4-Track Demos... was partly encouraged by Steve Albini [producer of Rid of Me].

[14] Some reviewers preferred this version to Rid of Me, which they contended buried some of her vocal range and sonic experimentations under its noisy, in-your-face dynamics.

For a side project, 4-Track Demos received remarkably high praise: Entertainment Weekly called it "a chillingly intimate peek into the fierce musical ethic of an independent and compelling voice",[5] Melody Maker hailed it as "viciously aggressive music with no numbing narcotic qualities",[15] while Rolling Stone said in its four-star review that "its depth, range and conceptual completeness make you wonder why Harvey even bothered with such conventions as a band or a producer in the first place".

In conjunction with being announced on TV, Thomas' name and photo were published in the April 1994 extra edition (number 71) issue of AP Wiretapping Newsletter.

"M-Bike", in particular, was included in many of those concerts and a live version can be found in the long-form video Reeling with PJ Harvey, released in 1994.

This performance highlighted Harvey's use of stage props during that tour (she beat out the rhythm with a long stick of dowl) as well as the unique instrumentation of guitarist Joe Gore, who played the song's sliding guitar riff with a knife.