O.U. was the first single to be released on the Gift Records label in 1992. Gift was to be an indie offshoot of the dance orientated label Warp. The record was released despite the fact that Pulp were still signed to Fire Records. Pulp's relationship with Fire had broken down irreparably by this time and there seemed almost no prospect of releasing new material through them. Fire were after all still to release the Separations LP, which had been recorded two and a half years before. The band's sound had moved on considerably since then and they were desperate to get some new recordings out: in part in the hope of attracting some interest from a major label. They calculated that Fire would not think it worthwhile to take legal action against a small independent label. Copies of this single are now quite rare. However, all the songs, except for the radio edit of O.U., can be obtained on the Intro: The Gift Recordings compilation that was released in 1993.