Maps is the recording name used by Northampton-based musician James Chapman. An obvious influence on Chapman are Spiritualized, whom "he loves", Galaxie 500 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.

Bassist Andrew Lowther (known as Lowth, Bubbles, Ox, Snakes, Dom Jackson) is the most recent addition to the Maps line up. After being in a band called Mylo in his school days, then a local band called Tablet, Lowther found his way to Maps in 2006.

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