Album Review: Puma Blue – 'In Praise Of Shadows'
Following a string of atmospheric EPs and singles, cult-acclaimed London-based producer and songwriter Puma Blue shares a long awaited debut album ‘In Praise Of Shadows’.
Stretching across 14 seemingly endless plains of lo-fi goodness, ‘In Praise Of Shadows’ is a record for nocturnal souls, and medicine for insomniacs. With impressive ease, Puma Blue (Jacob Allen) turns the hours between dusk and dawn into the main event. Building mellow dreamlands from pools of ambient guitars and intimate hideouts from soothing electronica, the album is nothing short of captivating “[It’s about] the balance of light and dark, the painful things you have to heal from or accept, that bring you through to a better place,” Jacob explains. “It’s about finding light in darkness - and realising that it’s what got me here today.”
Each track invites you to dream with Jacob, vibe with his gently flowing melodies, and float in beautiful worlds of muted colours that keep changing in tone ever so slightly throughout the course of the album. Where ‘Is It Because’ seems driven by a shimmering melancholy, mourning a relationship that never was, ‘Already Falling’ flips the script and takes the shape of a lilting love song. All the while Jacob’s silky vocals, that remind of Jeff Buckley in colour and soulful intensity, keep you safely anchored to the present moment, making sure you don’t stray too far on your lucid wanderings. But what truly takes the record to outstanding heights is lead single ‘Velvet Leaves’ that explores Jacob’s most haunting experience cloaked in a smooth hip-hop beat and reverb-drenched guitars. “In the summer of 2015, my sister attempted suicide. It was a lot to process personally and for us as a family. I always wanted to deal with it in song, but I never had the language, lyrically or musically, to grapple with such a complex issue,” he shares. “I’d like to think it ended up being a hopeful song, about the beauty of the way she got through it, and we all got through it. But there are definitely elements of the song which are just about how dark that veil is.”
From top to bottom, ‘In Praise Of Shadows’ is absolutely brilliant. Jacob takes you on a fifty-minute journey through magnetic soundscapes and leaves you enamoured by his skilful production and tender vocals. A true gem for late-night listening, a faithful companion on midnight walks and an ambient soundtrack for talking to the moon.
Words by Laura Freyaldenhoven