Maps New Album 'Counter Melodies" Out Now On Mute

STREAM NEW ALBUM FROM MAPS COUNTER MELODIES OUT TODAY ON MUTE   Photo Credit: Steve Gullick Maps, aka James Chapman is pleased to share his anticipated new album Counter Melodies, released today via Mute.  Last year Chapman dropped the first half of his new album, and followed up with an infectious remix of "Witchy Feel" from GLOK (Ride’s Andy Bell), each piece unfolding to reveal his most euphoric album yet. Today, Maps heralds that album in full. From the opening chiming bell sounds of “Witchy Feel”, Maps nods towards club music with a framing that has never been as fully evident in his music thus far. Beneath Counter Melodies’ grids of unwavering beats is a restless unpredictability, full of unplaceable sounds that arrive out of nowhere and exist on the periphery of detectability. “I've always felt there are some elements of dance music that I like,” explains Chapman, “but sometimes it feels purely functional. I've always wanted to make music that has emotion and that makes people feel something. There are elements of this album that have a clubby influence, but I like throwing in curveballs to make my music a bit more interesting.” Initial ideas for Counter Melodies began to form in the wake of Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss. Chapman chose not to tour the album beyond a few shows, instead he found himself DJing a lot towards the end of 2019. “I was enjoying making my own tracks and playing them in my DJ sets,” he says. “It’s like a comedian trying out new material. I really liked the idea of tracks flowing into one another, like a continuous DJ set. As soon as that idea was in my head, I just worked really hard to make it happen.” While Counter Melodies sounds totally unique in the Maps catalog, there is something about its presentation and tonality that makes it instantly recognizable as Maps. What Chapman has achieved with Counter Melodies is a new adventure through the familiar emotional terrain of the Maps sound, while also transporting you to more resolutely optimistic and hopeful places. Maps Counter Melodies is out now on vinyl (limited edition white vinyl comes with A4 signed and numbered art print), CD and digitally: https://mute.ffm.to/maps_cm       Counter Melodies album track listing: 1. Witchy Feel 2. Heya Yaha 3. Thru Lights 4. Psyche 5. Windows Open 6. Transmission 7. Lack Of Sleep 8. Valentine 9. Fever Dream 10. My Love Is Like     Purchase or stream: https://mute.ffm.to/maps_cm Counter Melodies playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOVXtjGAcrgIeQBVwDYNIpxa9FSXUN3DV    CONNECT WITH MAPS: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | WEB