The self-titled debut EP by Muse was recorded over a period of five days "in the autumn of 1997" at Sawmills Studios in Golant, Cornwall, with studio owner and Dangerous Records founder Dennis Smith agreeing to fund and arrange the sessions in return for payment if the band were later signed as a result of the release.

[1] The band recorded a total of ten songs during the sessions, later settling on "Overdue", "Cave", "Coma" and "Escape" for inclusion on the EP.

[4] It was sold in a number of local independent record shops in Devon (such as KMA in Torquay and Solo in Exeter), as well as made available by mail order.

[5] The EP's artwork was created by the band's drummer Dominic Howard, who arranged three photocopied sections of his face into a "wonky visage".

[3] Upon the EP's release, Exeter's tdb magazine reported that the songs on Muse were "nothing short of awesome and unlike anything you've ever heard from a Westcountry band".