LABEL: 4AD
RELEASE DATE: 07/24/2026
VARIANT: 2026 Remaster, Black Vinyl LP

After playing with the band on their first tours of the US and Europe, Simon Rowe of Chapterhouse and organ/piano player Alan Forrester had joined the group full-time for the next record, essentially turning Mojave 3 into Mojave 5. Not only that, but the four men in the band also moved into a farmhouse in Cornwall, building a small studio in a cowshed where they demoed songs for what became Out of Tune.

It was a real communal experience living on this village farm with Ian, Alan, and Simon, and other friends, says Neil. It was our own little Big Pink.

That was a real Band-y sort of atmosphere, agrees Ian, very old school, with everyone learning their parts and playing at the same time. Our sound became bigger, more raucous and poppy, as a result.

I was living in London and coming down to stay for a few weeks at a time, says Rachel. We were young and really having fun with it.

The band decamped to Cava Studios in Glasgow to record Out of Tune, which turned into a long process of remixing, rerecording, and adding new elements like pedal steel and brass. While the procedure was labored, the highly polished result is a bright, largely upbeat record that showcases a new sophistication in Neils lyrics while sounding much more like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Gram Parsons than anything resembling Slowdive.