Embracing the darkness with a touch of lo-fi.
Life is becoming more and more chaotic, and living in a hurry has become the norm. For many, music is that haven of peace that allows us to disconnect from the daily hustle and bustle. With an intrinsic and ethereal sound, Puma Blue It transports us to intangible and sometimes dark spaces, which immerse us in a state of trance.
Interviewing him was a similar experience. With a serene voice and natural eloquence, Jacob Allen It gave me a few minutes of serenity. Therefore, it was important for me to know how he spent his free time while on tour.
“Good question. A little of both, honestly. It feels really important to rest and, like you said, recharge. I listened to Erykah Badu once say something about how there is a time to 'upload' information and a time to 'download' it. And yes, I think it's very healthy to take a moment to, you know, lie down in the grass, look at the clouds and get close to your family. But also, the tours are really inspiring. And yes, I've been in and out of the studio all year, whether at home or away, writing, recording things, and something I love about concerts is that you feel little gaps in the repertoire that you would like to fill with something, and then you try to go and write that, so that the next time you're on tour, maybe you'll have a song that fits the energy that was missing, you know.”
2024 was a year full of activity for the London artist and his band. They continued with their tour Holy Waters Tour which began in 2023, taking his music to various parts of Asia, Europe and North America. This tour not only allowed them to connect with new audiences, but also to be inspired by places that, for him, were unknown.
I love being in Asia. We've been to a few places: Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei, Bangkok and Singapore, and even eating there is really inspiring. Having a moment where you feel like you're doing something you've never done before kind of opens up your world. “I also loved being in Italy and seeing some of the landscapes there.”
“I am super excited to go to Mexico, because I know that Leonora Carrington He lived there for a long time. My partner is a big fan of his work, he knows a lot about it. So I'm going to try to make time to go see something, whether it's a house or an exhibition.”
This will not be the first time that the multidisciplinary artist visits our country. Allen He traveled to Mexico unexpectedly a few years ago and hopes that this time his stay will be different.
“Yes I have been, but alone. It was when I was trying to move to the United States at the beginning of 2021. But because of the laws at the time, you couldn't fly from London, so I took a COVID test, went to Mexico and stayed there for two weeks, then got another test, and that's how I came to the United States. It was a very strange time. I felt very alone, obviously, because I was isolated, but one day I went for a walk in a park and, you know, I ate good food there. “I love Mexico, but I hope to enjoy it a little more this time.”
It is definite that this time it will be a different experience for Jacob Allen upon returning to our country. After selling out the tickets for their first date and having to open a second, the followers of Puma Blue They have let you know how welcome you are in Mexico, and you can expect a show very special.
Honestly, I felt very humbled. I did not at all assume that we were going to exhaust a showso when we did it, I felt excited and grateful to the people of CDMX. Knowing that there is that demand for music makes me even more excited to come play, because I know it will be greatly appreciated.”
His latest album, Holy Waterswas released in September 2023 and, unlike his previous productions, this album featured greater instrumental participation from his band, but maintaining the lyrical essence of the composer. The result was one of their darkest and most reflective albums to date.
“No, it was a mix. Some songs I wrote by myself, I recorded a demoand then the band played the parts they had written or something similar. Sometimes the band wasn't that necessary, and maybe someone was just doing little details on my recording. But in other cases, we create completely new arrangements together. For example, the song 'Hounds' I had a very rough sketch with lyrics for the verse with a different melody, I had the chorus and the riffbut it was like a seven-minute song, and it was a disaster. The band helped me in some ways to 'trim the excess' and refine it. We did some of that. Then about a third or a quarter of the album was also written from scratch together in the studio, something we'd never done before. For example, songs like 'Too Much' and 'Epitaph' were born from improvisations. Oh and 'Wait for Me' also. That one came from an improvisation, and then we just recorded it in the same room where we wrote it, something I'd never done before with a group.
So, yeah, I mean, even in post-production, I feel like some of the guys were really instrumental in the finishing touches. For example, in the final track, 'Light Is Gone', Harveywho plays saxophone and keyboards in the band, and I wanted to emulate an orchestra, but we didn't want strings on the album. So we came up with the idea of ​​layering a bunch of synths. our friend Luke He was also with us and contributed. We ended up creating this kind of orchestra with strange electronic sounds, drones and so on. I don't think I would have achieved that completely alone. “It’s very different when other people bring their energy to the songs.”
In addition to getting involved in every detail of his songs, the artist also stands out for maintaining the same somber aesthetic in his videos, creating an immersive and captivating experience for the viewer.
“Generally, I always get very involved. Even to the point that I've started directing some of my videos, because it just feels easier, you know? No one will necessarily execute the narrative you have in mind like yourself. But I still need a lot of help from people who are great at lighting or who really know how to work a camera. Those kinds of things are what I'm not good at at all. But yeah, even when I work with directors, I like to be involved, because I often have a vision of what I want it to look like. And even if it doesn't always turn out the way I imagined, it's still fun to be a part of the process.”
The versatility of Allen has been fueled in recent years by electronic music and ambient dub, but no genre defines it completely. He takes as reference bands like Jungle, Grouper and William Basinskias well as classical composers such as Ravel, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff.
With the last album I was listening to the band Can a lot. I love his heavy, free improvisation, as well as some of the tones in his music. “I also listened to a lot of Björk and Pink Floyd from before the 80s.”
Another of his hobbies is reading, something that has been clearly reflected in his creations. After all, their debut album, In Praise of Shadows, takes its name from the book of Jun'ichirĹŤ Tanizaki.
“I've been reading books about Buddhism, which is something I've never read about before, honestly. I'm reading a book called Zen in the art of archerywhich is about a German who tries to learn archery and realizes how bad he is at it.
I have also been reading The road (The Road) Cormac McCarthywhich is very gloomy, but very beautiful. Oh and Tom Robbins. I love Tom Robbins. “My girlfriend introduced me to her books.”
Puma Blue will take a break from touring, but it is very likely that he will surprise us with new music next year. Stay tuned through their networks and Indie Rocks! to stay informed about its news.
“I have a lot of music that I'm excited to release. There is usually a larger time gap between releases. It takes me time to let everything fall into place. But this time I was so inspired after finishing Holy Waterswhich I started writing immediately, as soon as I received the masters. All I can say is that I have a lot of music ready and I'm thinking about what to do with it. Next year I hope to release new things, maybe something quite different. Beyond that, I don't know. “I'm trying not to have expectations and honestly, I just want to spend more time at home.”
