Product Description
The debut full-length album from London's {|Puma Blue|}, 2021's {|In Praise of Shadows|}, showcases his hypnotic blend of lyrical indie rock and jazzy, '90s-style downtempo electronica. The stage name of singer/songwriter and producer {|Jacob Allen|}, {|Puma Blue|} first garnered buzz for his equally atmospheric EPs, 2017's {|Swum Baby|} and 2018's {|Blood Loss|}. {|In Praise of Shadows|} finds him further expanding his guitar- and vocals-based sound, weaving in a dusky blend of analog and electronic textures. Try to imagine something along the lines of {|Jeff Buckley|} recording at home with {|J Dilla|}, and you won't be far off from the narcotic bedroom vibe {|Puma Blue|} conjures here. Poetically titled cuts like Velvet Leaves, Opiate, and Slick Print mix {|Allen|}'s hushed vocals with shimmering guitar riffs and head-nodding beats that he pushes way up in the mix. Elsewhere, he draws upon an otherworldly combination of influences, his harmonized, double-tracked vocals evoking a surprising concoction of {|Sade|} and {|Low|} on the ballad Silk Print. Similarly evocative, Oil Slick nicely updates the vintage trip-hop of bands like {|Morcheeba|} and {|Massive Attack|} with its frenetic groove, strings, and sax solo. It's also impressive how balanced {|Puma Blue|}'s sound can be, intentionally threatening to fall off the page with a lo-fi guitar sample one second and then diving into a mesmerizingly seductive R&B groove the next, as on the {|D'Angelo|}-esque Is It Because. With {|In Praise of Shadows|}, {|Puma Blue|} has crafted a deliberate slow burn of a debut album you'll enjoy taking your time with. ~ Matt Collar
