F L A U N T
London-born singer Jacob Allen, popularly known by the stage name Puma Blue has just released his latest single ‘Hounds.’ Following a trajectory of perfectly orchestrated songs that are a sure testament to Puma Blue’s distinctly diaphanous voice, this release resides in a lane of its own.
‘Hounds’ holistically possesses a more experimental sound while layering in Puma Blue’s classic tantalizing instrumentals. Unlike the sultry tunes, ‘(She’s ) Just a Phase’ and ‘Moon Undah Water’, this new track is distinct in its method of recording. The artist relays, “In the past I’ve strived to make this intimate sound on my laptop and then translate it differently for the live setting. But after the detachment of the last couple of years, it became apparent to me that the thing I love most about this project was playing it live with my closest friends. So I took them this demo I’d written around a bass-line, a Bristol-sound inspired song about running from depression and the inevitability of loneliness, and after jamming through it a couple of times we recorded it live together in a studio on the English coast. The irony is not lost on me given this is a song about loneliness, that it was a really poignant time of togetherness and I think you can hear it in the playing.”
Puma Blue delves into a deeply personal topic and compounds ‘Hounds’ with an adjacent conceptually abstract music video. Directed by film-maker Jak Payne, the music video features predominantly black and white scenes and a blindfolded Puma Blue—a plausible expression of the artist’s battle with loneliness. Puma Blue speaks on the video and adds, “Jak and I were inspired by Jean Cocteau’s ‘Testament Of Orpheus’ and Andrei Tarkovsky’s ‘Stalker’, and so we set the video inside a kind of barren dream world. There’s hidden meaning and symbols which are both personal to me and up for the individual’s interpretation as I traverse the landscape of my own subconscious.”
Currently supporting Arlo Parks on her U.S. tour and also headlining his own LA and NYC shows, Puma Blue is making a lasting imprint on the American music scene. ‘Hounds’ is indicative of a dawning era for the bluesy artist—one that is bluntly experimental and sonically alluring.
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