Mackintosh Braun
Shimmering electropop that feels like a neon-lit city at 2am. Smooth, melodic, and deeply atmospheric songs for late night drives and quiet reflection.
Shimmering electropop that feels like a neon-lit city at 2am. Smooth, melodic, and deeply atmospheric songs for late night drives and quiet reflection.
Mackintosh Braun crafts a sound that exists in the hazy intersection of indie-pop sensibility and polished electronic production. Their music feels like a warm, analog embrace, characterized by lush synthesizer washes, steady rhythmic pulses, and vocals that are delivered with a gentle, breathy intimacy. It is high-fidelity pop that retains a soulful, human core, often evoking the feeling of a cinematic urban evening where everything is slightly out of focus.
What truly distinguishes the duo is their ability to blend organic instrumentation, like live drums and subtle guitar work, with the precision of electronic sequencing. This creates a 'chillwave' aesthetic that feels more grounded and structured than its peers. Their songs often lean into a bittersweet nostalgia, utilizing shimmering textures and reverb-heavy arrangements to build a sense of space that feels both expansive and deeply private.
Start with the album 'Arcadia' to experience their most refined production and catchy, melancholic hooks. It serves as the perfect entry point for anyone who appreciates the intersection of 80s synth-pop nostalgia and modern indie-electronic sophistication. From there, 'Where We Are' offers a slightly more raw but equally melodic look at their early evolution.
Mackintosh Braun is a Portland, Oregon-based electropop group signed to Island Records / Chop Shop Records, a division of the Universal Music Group. The duo is composed of Ian Mackintosh and Ben Braun, who share song-writing and production duties. When performing live the outfit involve other musicians to fill out their sound, including at one point Ben's father Michael Braun, a long-time drummer for Hall & Oates who has also played on a few of the group's recordings. According to an interview in Spinner, the group's influences range from The Beatles to the Midnight Juggernauts, and the band's public presence has led to profiles and features in Nylon, The Huffington Post, People, NPR Music and Consequence of Sound. The group's second album Where We Are was lauded by the Associated Press as one of 2010's most overlooked albums. It was announced via Diffuser and their interview in The Huffington Post that Mackintosh Braun would be releasing their third album Arcadia in June 2015. The album stream premiered June 15, 2015 with Vice Media, Inc. (Noisey) describing the album as "... a poppy gem, filled with soulful chillwave and dance tunes that are just in time for the summer. The album implores you to ride a wave of good vibes, punctuated by drums that remind you how great organic instrumentation can complement a synthesizer." Arcadia was released June 16 through Chop Shop Records / Island Records. Clash announced in June 2017 that Ben Braun of Mackintosh Braun would be releasing a solo album entitled Silent Science on Diving Bell Records and premiered the first single "Prague". The album was released on October 6, 2017, and had tracks featured in both Riverdale (2017 TV series) and Dynasty (2017 TV series). Ben Braun has been writing and releasing music under the moniker Hotel Pools since 2018.
Shares electropop, synth-pop, downtempo (subgenres); dreamy, nostalgic, serene (moods)
Shares electropop, synth-pop, downtempo (subgenres); studio polished, analog warmth, layered dense (production style)
Shares electropop, synth-pop, downtempo (subgenres); studio polished, analog warmth, layered dense (production style)
Shares studio polished, analog warmth, layered dense (production style); dreamy, nostalgic, serene (moods)
Shares studio polished, analog warmth, layered dense (production style); electropop, synth-pop (subgenres)
Shares studio polished, analog warmth, layered dense (production style); wistful, dreamy, nostalgic (moods)
Shares electropop, synth-pop, downtempo (subgenres); dreamy, bittersweet, nostalgic (moods)
Shares electropop, synth-pop, downtempo (subgenres); studio polished, analog warmth, layered dense (production style)
Shares electropop, synth-pop (subgenres); breathy, gentle, harmonized (vocal style)
Shares breathy, electropop, analog warmth, dreamy (signature)
Shares breathy, electropop, analog warmth, dreamy (signature)
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