PUMA BLUE PRESENTS PHONE CALLS: A SHORT FILM A LOVE LETTER TO HIS LIVE BAND
OUT 8/26 VIA BLUE FLOWERS / [PIAS] RECORDINGS
+ WATCH PHONE CALLS: A SHORT FILM HERE
+ LISTEN TO COVER OF RADIOHEAD’S ALL I NEED HERE
+ PRE-ORDER DELUXE EDITION OF DEBUT ALBUM, IN PRAISE OF SHADOWS, OUT NOVEMBER 5TH
+ NORTH AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN TOURS ANNOUNCED
Magic hour R&B – The FADER
A prodigious talent with greatness in his sights – Complex
A hazy dreamland for listeners to get lost in – NME
Jazz-tinged late hours soul to languid hip-hop beats, music of real tension and originality – The Sunday Times
Puma Blue processes [his] pain with a hypnotic tenderness – Billboard
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 whilst retaining its characteristic bedroom intimacy.
Yet for all the intimacy of his voicemail-ballads on record, his songs carry a different resonance in 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 and 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 Gran (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 allows them 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 more than just music. The mini-doc highlights the otherwise unspoken bonds of friendship that make performing these often introspective songs such a life-affirming experience.
Jacob says, As beautiful as I could make something on my own, it could never compare to what these beautiful boys bring to it. Not just because they’re incredible musicians who are really connected to the spirit of music, but it’s more that live music is such an untameable thing. It’s such a deeper spectrum.
The release of Phone Calls also marks the announcement of Puma Blue’s biggest tours to date and the release of a Deluxe Edition of In Praise of Shadows, due out November 5th. The deluxe edition features the original album, boosted by eight live recordings mostly taken from rehearsals in early 2021, and two b-sides. With limited opportunities for people to hear the album in a live setting, this represents an intimate first glimpse at the magic unique to the full band arrangements.
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 Tokyo exploring loneliness with brutal honesty and a sparse acoustic atmosphere. The Deluxe Edition is available to pre-order here as a digital deluxe record along with a limited-run standalone bonus B-Sides & Live Versions vinyl.
Puma Blue can also now announce details of his first full tours since the album was released. Joined by his live band, Puma Blue will trek North America this November, before returning to Europe in February 2022. The UK dates include a homecoming show at the Brixton Electric on March 3rd. Tickets go on general sale today (UK & Europe) and tomorrow (N. America) here.
Pre-order Deluxe Edition of In Praise of Shadows HERE
