Posted by “I must be losing my mind,”Jacob Allen’s better-known alias of Puma Blue will assure you on his debut album, ‘In Praise Of Shadows’. The 14-track record traverses a winding road of insomnia, wandering dreams, sombre days and lustful nights.
Previously released tracks ‘Velvet Leaves’, ‘Opiate’ and ‘Snowflower’ all fall seamlessly into a cohesive piece of work which boasts Allen’s recognisable crooning while catering to his soft blues- centric strings. ‘Already Falling’ caresses the archetypal Puma Blue style: muted jazz and honey soaked words – quickly shifting to his more reckless ‘Oil Slick’, a much faster and unrecognisable track from the artist, still fitting so aptly amidst the intensely intimate record.
Despite Allen’s years of fighting insomnia, he appears to come to some form of conclusion during ‘In Praise Of Shadows’, one which we get a sneaking insight to – magnifying the introspective world of Puma Blue and this dreamy debut album.
8/10
Dig This? Dig Deeper: Oscar Jerome, Nubya Garcia, Louis VI
Words: Gemma Ross
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