Colin Macintyre is a Scottish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and author from Mull, United Kingdom. He records both under his own name and under the Mull Historical Society name, a project that consists of Macintyre alone. Born in 1971, he is identified with singer-songwriter material that also draws on indie, pop and rock.

Recording as Mull Historical Society

Macintyre releases three albums under the Mull Historical Society name: Loss (2001), Us (2003) and This Is Hope (2004). Loss receives strong critical praise and appears in many album-of-the-year polls, with sales nearing 100,000 in the UK. The project begins as a solo endeavour rather than a conventional band, despite the band-style name.

Solo work

He later drops the MHS moniker and releases his fourth studio album, The Water, under his own name in 2008. This record is his first to use the Colin MacIntyre name and his first to involve an outside producer; the earlier albums are self-produced. The Water is produced by Nick Franglen of Lemon Jelly.

His next album, Island, is recorded back on the Isle of Mull in his old classroom, which has become a studio. It is his most acoustic-oriented album to date and is accompanied by a short story collection based on the album’s song titles. One of those stories is intended for adaptation into a play and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The album also includes a collaboration with King Creosote.

Career profile

Macintyre achieves four Top 40 singles and two Top 20 albums. He tours in the UK, Europe and the United States, and his career includes support slots for The Strokes on their debut UK tour and later dates with R.E.M. He is described as a songwriter who works outside passing trends.

Critical reception

His music draws strong notices from the press. The Water is described as “Pop perfection” by The Guardian, while the NME says “All hail Colin!”. Island is also reviewed positively, with commentary highlighting its personal tone, melody, roots influence and folk-rock qualities.