Maps is the recording name used by Northampton-based musician James Chapman. Obvious influences on Chapman are Spiritualized, whom "he loves", Galaxie 500, My Bloody Valentine,Mogwai and Low.

He recorded Start Something EP by himself on his 16-track recorder, and released it on his own label Last Space Recordings in 2006, which was met with some critical acclaim. The single Don't Fear polled at No 26 in NME's top 50 singles of 2006. Critical acclaim was followed by his first full album entitled We Can Create, released on Mute Records on 19th May 2007. His first North American release To the Sky EP, was released digitally on May 22 on the same label, followed by his debut album on June 19.

Maps played the Latitude Festival in Southwold on 13 July 2007, as well as the Leeds and Reading Festivals on 24 August 2007 and 26 August 2007. Maps has toured playing the album's songs with a full live line-up, and plans to play 5 dates in the USA later in 2007. "My band sounded a bit like The Stone Roses meets Spaceman 3, they sounded like Devo," he says for The Independent.

"It Will Find You" has been released as a single, with another track, "You Don't Know Her Name", being released on 30th July, 2007.

On 17th July, 2007 it was announced that We Can Create had been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Since its release, the album has been seen as a critical success even though sales have been fairly modest.

MAPS frontman James Chapman was recently interviewed by Liberation Frequency Online Magazine.

James is supported by four local musicians for live shows. Phil Thurlby & Matthew Roberts on keyboards and vocals, Andrew Lowther on bass and Ben Gordelier on Drums.

Frontman James claimed in an interview to reply to every MySpace message he receives personally.

On 22 February 2009 James Chapman wrote on his myspace blog about his new upcoming album saying "I've never been more confident and excited about this new album". In an interview he posted on this same blog, he mentions the new album's themes being "mental states" and "chemicals".

On 01/03/2009 he announced 13 new tracks that had been recorded which could possibly be on the album:
Turning The Mind
I Dream Of Crystal
Let Go Of The Fear
Valium In The Sunshine
Papercuts
Love Will Come
Everything Is Shattering
Nothing
The Note (These Voices)
From Here’s To Bliss
Chameleon
Die Happy, Die Smiling
Without You

all but "From Here's to Bliss" will appear on the album.

According to an interview on James' new website for Maps, he has revealed the name of the new album Turning the Mind, which he said will be darker, angrier and more electronic than We Can Create. The first single is "Let Go of the Fear" and will be available for digital download on May 11. The second album now has a confirmed release date: September 28. James said via his website that every two weeks he'd post a song from Turning the Mind on his MySpace page. He went on to say maybe another single before the album which I to be "I Dream of Crystal".

On 11 August, 2009, the track "Nothing" leaked onto youtube with an unofficial video for it.

Singles

• "Start Something" (03 Oct 2005 - OP1)
• "Lost My Soul" (06 Mar 2006 - OP2)
• "Don't Fear" (30 Oct 2006 - OP3)
• "Start Something EP" (13 Nov 2006 - OP4)
• "It Will Find You" (7 May 2007 - MUTE375)
• "You Don't Know Her Name" (13 Aug 2007 - MUTE378)
• "To The Sky" (08 Oct 2007 - MUTE396)
• "Let Go of the Fear" (11 May 2009)
• "I Dream of Crystal" (14 Sept 2009)

Albums

• We Can Create (14 May 2007)
• Turning the Mind (28 September 2009)

• Maps at MySpace
• Official Homepage
• Interview with James Chapman - at Liberation Frequency
• maps Bandstand