British singer-songwriter Puma Blue shares insights about his latest album ‘antichamber,’ which represents a dreamy and ambient shift infused with vulnerability and spiritual surrender, where the music feels more like it's been channeled from the ether than meticulously composed.
Stream: ‘antichamber’ – Puma Blue
Puma Blue, born Jacob Allen in London, evokes a sultry summer night filled with darkness and warmth in his new album, antichamber. He released it unexpectedly for his fans, yet he was just as astonished to have created this particular project.
“I was working on what I thought was going to be my third album after Holy Waters, feeling really inspired,” Allen reflects. “Typically, once I finish a project, my mind goes silent—scarily silent—and I think, ‘Oh no, maybe I can’t write music anymore.’ It seems like the spark has faded, which I interpret as needing time to process things. With more life experiences, I eventually have new insights and sounds that excite me, and that’s usually the pattern.”
This time, however, the anticipated slump never arrived. The exhilaration he felt while collaborating with his band on Holy Waters left him energized with creativity until winter arrived.
“I set those ideas aside and started crafting music that I thought was just for me—something much more personal,” says Allen.
In the quiet of his Atlanta home during a cold winter, Allen began to assemble what would become antichamber.
“I was aiming to create music for sleep, something my friends could relax to. I enjoy albums that shift and change, where almost every track feels different,” he explains. “But for this album, I took a different route, focusing on making something that gently invites you to sleep—teetering on the edge of being boring.”
“Dreamlike” encapsulates the essence of these songs—reminiscent of a tranquil night drive heading towards an unknown destination.
The simplified style of the music represents uncharted territory for Puma Blue. Tracks like “hotel room” and “in my wildest dreams” venture beyond the jazz and blues realms typically associated with his work.
This unfamiliarity brought some anxiety about how these songs would be received. Allen, akin to a child proudly revealing a drawing, allowed his close ones to hear the results of his intimate creative journey.
“Friends and my girlfriend provided so much encouragement. Their response was, ‘This is truly beautiful and meditative; your audience will love it,’” he says.
Yet, the positive reactions initially didn’t mirror Allen’s feelings about the album. He questioned the connection these songs might achieve with his audience, who had grown accustomed to his established sound.
“Releasing something with no drums, just acoustic guitars and completely ambient pieces made me worry that no one would want it, or that it didn’t fit under this project,” he explains. “There were moments where I wondered if I wanted to share all this. It felt like something I was meant to express, a message on my heart by God or whatever. [Vulnerability] is an essential quality to have in the world.”
For Allen, the act of making music and his spiritual beliefs intertwine seamlessly.
Beyond recognizing divinity in everyday moments like birds, trees, and laughter, he perceives God most vividly through music.
“I’ve always felt there were still pure elements in music—something divine that can elevate you without any negative repercussions. It feels truly authentic,” says Allen.
He recalls tales of John Coltrane and his spiritually charged creative process, noting that he understands how such experiences can manifest following the creation of antichamber.
“With this record, there was a truly open channel; I felt like I was receiving and transcribing music more than carefully composing it like a scientist mixing potions,” he mentions.
The simplicity Allen tapped into is evident in the album's overall composition.
Writing track seven, “in my wildest dreams,” imparted a significant lesson for him. Although it’s the album's shortest track, it took the longest to finish due to Allen's uncertainty about its completion. After considering adding a bridge and outro, he realized that the original simplicity was, in fact, the essence of the track.
“Honestly, it just needed to be finished as it was, and I’m genuinely pleased with how it turned out.”
Enhancing certain songs involved adding layers while retaining their minimalist essence.
On “dying as a note,” the gentle sound of rain accompanies airy, slightly distorted piano chords. Inspired by avant-garde classical music, these elements were intentionally incorporated to envelop the listener in the atmosphere Allen experienced during recording.
“I aimed to immerse the songs in my surroundings. They sounded like they existed in a vacuum, which I appreciated. I leaned into that quality in several tunes—it’s almost as if they’re floating in space,” Allen explains.
“For the ambient tracks, I
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British singer-songwriter Puma Blue discusses his new album ‘antichamber,’ which presents a dreamy and ambient shift characterized by vulnerability and spiritual surrender, giving the impression that the music is less crafted and more channeled from the ether.