Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You

4ad - 4AD0830LP

By the time of their final album, Mojave 3 had journeyed a long way from the dreamy, country-tinged sadcore they started with. Reminiscent of the late days of Slowdive, both Neil and Rachel had released solo records, Ian was playing in other bands, and Neil was once again going off on his own to finish the album himself.

Leapfrogging the sonic direction of their previous album, Puzzles Like You brings in jangly Byrds guitars and uptempo Sixties pop melodies for a positively bright and fun record that feels right at home next to indie rock contemporaries like The Shins and Band of Horses, while sounding nearly unrecognizable next to the band they were on Ask Me Tomorrow.

"It's a much perkier, more 'indie' record," says Neil, "although there's still some quite nice country stuff on there. 'Most Days', 'Big Star Baby', and Ian's song 'The Mutineer' are some of my favourite songs that Mojave made."

Sadly, after recording her vocals for the album, Rachel entered a period of illness that would prevent her from touring or recording for several years. Combined with the fact that their five-album deal had been completed, Neil had a growing solo career, and they never sold enough records to live off of in the first place, the band seemed to be reaching its natural conclusion. And so (after briefly reforming for a 2011 tour) Mojave 3 disappeared, blown away by the desert sands they came from.

Over the next few years, the shoegaze sound Neil and Rachel first made together was discovered and mythologized by a new generation, and it was Slowdive's turn to be reborn, becoming bigger and more beloved than anyone could have imagined.

As a result of their unpredicted success, Mojave 3's own myth has grown, resulting in their records being some of 4AD's most requested reissues of the last decade. With these 2026 reissues putting all five albums in print once again, perhaps it's Mojave 3's time to rise from the ashes and fly once again.

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