Puma Blue - Croak Dream [Blue]

Puma Blue drifts deeper into the shadows on Croak Dream, a 2026 album pressed on limited edition blue vinyl.

Puma Blue is the project of London singer, songwriter and producer Jacob Allen, whose hushed, jazz-tinged music has always sounded like it was recorded at three in the morning. For Croak Dream he decamped to Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios, and the album explores trip-hop, dub and stark singer-songwriter moods while circling one big idea: how knowing we will die might change the way we choose to live.

Songs like "Mister Lost," "Croak Dream" and "Heaven Above, Hell Below" unfold slowly, built from murky beats, reverb-soaked guitar and Allen's soft, breathy vocals, before "Yearn Again" brings the record to a close. Nothing is rushed, and the arrangements leave plenty of space for small details to bloom.

It's a record of restraint, where a single bass note or a brushed snare can carry real weight. Allen has a rare gift for making sadness feel comforting rather than heavy, and for turning private thoughts into something that feels shared. Even at its darkest, the album never feels bleak, with warmth glowing at the centre of every song.

Best heard late at night with the lights low, and the blue pressing suits its mood perfectly.