London-based producer, singer/songwriter and Puma Blue creative mastermind Jacob Allen released his sixth Puma Blue album, Croak Dreams earlier this year through Play It Again Sam. “A Croak Dream is a prophetic dream where you see a vision of how you die. Half the songs on this record allude to how you might decide to live, act, if you somehow knew your awaiting fate. Being daring, romantic… saying what you really mean.” Allen explains.
Recorded straight to tape at Peter Gabriel‘s Real World Studios, Croak Dream sees Allen and co-producer and mixer Sam Petts-Davies expanding the project’s sonic world a well as to channel the project’s sultry, emotional and conceptual complexity with an instinct-led take on experimenting with Allen’s art to its most evocative form.
Additionally, longtime collaborator Harvey Grant contributed to the textual quality and identity of the album. “Later at Real World Studios, the band and I recorded tape loops over a small fragment of the demo, none of them heard the finished song, and when Sam and I came back to London we cut those improvisations into this Frankenstein’s monster type collage,” Allen says. “We were really leaning into a mutual love for CAN, Aphex Twin and Queens of the Stone Age.”
The album featured the broodingly cinematic and uneasy album title track “Croak Dream.”
Yesterday, Allen announced that the deluxe edition of Croak Dream, Croak Deluxe is slated for a November 13, 2026 release through Play It Again Sam. Croak Deluxe will include five previously unreleased tracks along with four live recordings. The result is an effort that expands upon the trip hop, dub and nocturnal crooning of the acclaimed, previously released Croak Dream.
Along with the album announcement, Allen shared the previously unreleased “Whispering” is a slow-burning, hypnotic trip-hop-tinged lullaby with twinkling keys and dusty, boom bap beats paired with Allen’s soulful, breathy croon.
“Anything left on the cutting room floor usually stays that way in my creative process,” Allen says. ““If a song doesn’t fit on an album, I either feel like I have unfinished business with it on the next one, or maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. ‘Whispering’ is a curious song to me because sonically, thematically – it’s a sibling of the other songs on the record. It just wasn’t ready in time. It’s been a rare pleasure to see it through.”
Allen will be embarking on a short run of North American dates. Check out the tour dates below.
North American Tour Dates
10/29 – ZeyZey – Miami, FL
10/30 – The Social – Orlando, FL
11/3 – Foro Nodriza – Monterrey, MX
11/4 – C3 Stage – Guadalajara, MX
11/5 – Teatro Metropólitan – Ciudad de Mexico, MX
11/7 – Mohawk – Austin, TX
11/9 – Meow Wolf – Santa Fe, NM
11/10 – Marquis – Denver, CO11/13 – The Glass House – Pomona, CA
____
The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 16 year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have.
To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work.
I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.
Make a one-time donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
If you can give more regularly, please feel free to check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement.
Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all.
I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work.
You can follow me on the following social platforms:
X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent
Instagram: @william_ruben_helms
Threads: @william_ruben_helms
Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement
As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better.
Discover more from The Joy of Violent Movement
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.