Puma Blue - In Praise Of Shadows [B–Sides & Live Versions]

Puma Blue won widespread critical acclaim with the release of his debut LP ‘In Praise of Shadows’ earlier this year. Described by NME as “a brief moment of relief for those lost in the darkness” the album found his storytelling at its
most honest and vulnerable to date whilst his production reached new heights, retaining its characteristic bedroom intimacy.

- Clear vinyl in a clear PVC sleeve

Yet for all the intimacy of his ‘voicemail-ballads’ on record, his songs carry a different resonance in a live setting; a mix of improvisation, in-the-moment escapism and the collective power of an audience taking his music to new heights. It’s something the producer & vocalist, real name Jacob Allen, has had a lot of time to reflect on in the last year, the absence of touring, combined with a move to Atlanta GA, giving him the time and distance to fully appreciate the importance of the record vs. live dichotomy to the way his work is perceived, experienced and felt.

Today he pays tribute to his band - Harvey Grant (sax, keys, co-production), Cameron Dawson (bass) and Ellis Dupuy (drums) - with the release of ‘Phone Calls: A Short Film’. Featuring live content, rehearsals, jam sessions and behind-the-scenes footage, ‘Phone Calls’ - which was directed & edited by Allen himself - puts a spotlight on each member’s contribution to the wider Puma Blue experience, and gives them the opportunity to reflect on their work
together through a series of conversations recorded over the last year spent apart.

The resulting short film captures the spark of four young musicians whose telepathy allows them to become more than the sum of their parts. Yet it’s about more than just music. This is also about the otherwise unspoken bonds of
friendship that make performing these often introspective songs such a life affirming experience.

The Deluxe Edition is completed by two new bedroom studio recordings with new single ‘All I Need’ (a Radiohead cover) perfectly extending the album’s small hours spirit, the raw emotion of Puma Blue’s voice growing in tandem with the scale of the initially skeletal production, and the previously unreleased ‘Postcard From Toyko’ exploring loneliness with brutal honesty and a sparse acoustic atmosphere.