John Maus

John Maus, born February 23, 1980, in Austin, Minnesota, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and composer known for his baritone singing style. He began playing instruments around age 12, influenced by bands like Nirvana and Syd Barrett. In 1998, he moved to the California Institute of the Arts to study experimental music composition. His early recordings, including Songs (2006) and Love is Real (2007), were released on cassette tape with an early 1990s sound bank. Maus gained wider acceptance with his third album, We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves (2011). After a five-year hiatus, he returned with Screen Memories (2017) and Addendum (2018). His academic pursuits include earning a PhD in political science from the University of Hawaii.