Biography
Mute founder Daniel Miller first assembled Maps' James Chapman and fellow labelmate Polly Scattergood for 2011's Mute Short Circuit Festival, after which the pair chose to sustain their partnership under the name On Dead Waves. Once each had issued a solo album in 2013—Vicissitude from Maps and Arrows from Scattergood—they reconvened at Chapman's home studio to begin composing their debut full-length. Bound by a shared musical outlook, the duo drew from Low, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen while shaping a sound marked by genuine cinematic depth. Fronted by the singles "California," "Blackbird," and "Blue Inside," the self-titled album reached listeners in May 2016.