The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language.

[7] In 1988, Cocteau Twins signed with Capitol Records in the United States, distributing their fifth album Blue Bell Knoll through a major label in the country.

In 2005 the band announced that they would reunite to headline Coachella Festival and embark on a world tour but the reunion was cancelled a month later after Fraser "couldn’t bring herself to work with Guthrie".

[1] Prior to releasing their debut album, the band recorded a four track session for John Peel in June 1982, including "Wax and Wane" and "Garlands".

[18] Cocteau Twins' sound on their first three recordings relied on the combination of Heggie's rhythmic basslines, Guthrie's minimalist guitar melodies, and Fraser's voice.

[20] In 1983 the band participated in 4AD's This Mortal Coil project, which spawned a cover version of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" (performed by Guthrie and Fraser).

While working on This Mortal Coil, Guthrie and Fraser became acquainted with another project contributor, multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde (formerly a member of Drowning Craze), who joined Cocteau Twins later that year.

Raymonde returned to the group for The Moon and the Melodies (1986), a collaboration with ambient composer Harold Budd,[1] which was not released under the Cocteau Twins name, instead being credited to all four participating musicians alphabetically.

While remaining a 4AD band, Cocteau Twins signed a major-label contract with Capitol Records in 1988 for distribution in the United States, and released their fifth album, Blue Bell Knoll, that September.

Their reasons ranged from Guthrie's "cut back layers of guitar and reverb", "Fraser’s singing being more comprehensible", and "both Raymonde’s bass work and the ever-present drum machine".

In 1991 4AD and Capitol released a box set that compiled the band's EPs from 1982 to 1990, and also included a bonus disc of rare and previously unreleased material.

[12] The band explained that Four-Calendar Café was a response to the turmoil that had engulfed them in the intervening years, with Guthrie entering rehab and quitting alcohol and drugs, and Fraser undergoing psychotherapy.

Raymonde said on the recording of the album that it "all happened so fast", further claiming that "Robin and I would write a song and then not have to wait around forever the muse to visit Liz".

Guthrie described making the album as "a very joyous experience", stating that "Simon [Raymonde] used to come into the studio in the daytime to do his thing, then I would come in at night to do mine, and then Liz would come in when neither one of us was around".

In 1999 Bella Union, the record label founded by Guthrie and Raymonde, released a double-CD Cocteau Twins compilation entitled BBC Sessions.

In January 2005 Cocteau Twins announced that they would be reforming to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on 30 April, and later indicated that additional tour dates would be added.

[39] In 2023, Guthrie remastered the albums Four-Calendar Café and Milk & Kisses, which was later re-released under an exclusive license by their former record label, 4AD, in 2024 on vinyl, compact disc, and digital formats.

He also co-produced the posthumous album by Billy Mackenzie from the Associates, then went on to produce several Domino Records artists like James Yorkston, Archie Bronson Outfit (whom he later managed) and Clearlake.

More recently he has produced the UK band the Duke Spirit, London-based duo Helene, former Golden Virgins frontman Lucas Renney and has mixed the Mercury Prize nominated album The End of History by Fionn Regan.

In his role running Bella Union, he has discovered such artists as Laura Veirs, Fleet Foxes, Midlake, Lift to Experience, the Low Anthem, I Break Horses, the Czars and John Grant.

[54] Fraser's vocals included invented or unknown words, sometimes ones she found in foreign language books, adding to the band's dreamy ambience.

[55][56] Cocteau Twins' music has influenced numerous artists in different genres, including Slowdive,[57] Ride,[58] Cigarettes After Sex,[59] Quicksand,[60] Deftones, the Weeknd, Napalm Death, John Grant, and Prince.

[61] The Guardian described their music as "the gold standard for enigmatic, ethereal indie-pop", citing their ability to "emerge fully formed from the post-punk shadows".