John Maus

JOHN MAUS lives in his birthplace of Austin, Minnesota. Whilst working towards his PhD in Political Science he also composes music that taps into melancholic fantasy and affirms that we are all truly alive. Questing synthesisers, tensely strung bass lines and chasing drum machines provide the perfect backdrop for John's deeply resonant reverb-drenched vocal.

Born in the decade of synth pop and sharing his birthday with George Frideric Handel, John started making music when Nirvana posters went up on every teenager's wall. It's this curious conflux of influences that partially helps to describe John's music. It's a world where the Germs jam with Jerry Goldsmith, Cabaret Voltaire relocate to Eternia and Josquin des Prez writes a new score for RoboCop. The confrontation of punk, the fleeting poignancy of 80s movie soundtracks, the insistent pulse of Moroder and the spirituality of Medieval and Baroque music all find salvation in John Maus.

“Like most of what Maus does, it promises to be nothing short of illuminating” – The New Yorker
“An ominous, Carpenters-like slice of cinematic synth pop" – Uncut
“Screen Memories is the point where art ends and genuine mania begins” – Uncut
“A great, electric, gothic symphony” – Loud & Quiet
“Screen Memories is more than a musical curio to be admired” – CRACK
“Striking moments of ethereal bliss" – CRACK
“Maus’s genius is to splice nostalgic sonic expectations for the future with new structural realities” – The Wire
“His best album yet” – Prog Magazine
“Maus’ delivers another strong dose of lo-fi synth-pop to make you dance and weep simultaneously” – London In Stereo
“A singular voice, in more ways than one” – MOJO
“Gloriously baroque synth-pop” – Q
“Infectiously mordant synthpop mischief” – The Guardian
“Intriguingly conceived” – FT
“Screen Memories finds the modern gothic master in both nostalgic and apocalyptic mode” – FACT Mag
“John Maus’ keyboard pop has never sounded so relevant.” – Drowned In Sound
“Screen Memories has got a definitive and timeless sound” – The Line Of Best Fit