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Mar 27, 2019 By Stephen Axeman

Northampton, England based songwriter and producer Maps has shared a new track that is a thematic variation of "Both Sides," off of his forthcoming album Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss. (due out May 10 via Mute), and we are pleased to premiere it. The track is an instrumental reworking of the single (which was featured on our Songs of the Week list) that features a swelling string section, melodic bells, and a bass line that runs up to gallop along with the cathartic climax. Check out the track and album cover art below.

On the making of the track James Chapman (aka Maps) had this to say: "While recording the album I was pushing to create a full and expansive sound wherever possible. That was always my overall aim. With the 'Thematic Variations' I wanted to show a different aspect to the songs. They are not remixes as such, more like instrumental variations on the original song. My focus was on bringing the orchestral arrangements to the front and stripping back the drums as a starting point. It felt like an interesting way to show a different side to the tracks. 'Both Sides' is a song about the complex relationship between appearance and reality, and this duality fed into the theme of showing another 'side' to the song. So it was an obvious choice to work on for the first 'Thematic Variation.'"

Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss. marks Maps' fourth studio album, coming after the release of 2013's Vicissitude. The album features contributions from the six-piece classical ensemble, the Echo Collective, as well as guest vocals from Cecilia Fage, Jennifer Pague, and Rachel Kenedy.  

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