Croak Dream, the new album from the Atlanta-based British artist Puma Blue, is a moody mix of soul, trip hop, and indie rock that feels like the ideal soundtrack for a clandestine link-up or a walk through a lonely, foggy city at night. It captures a specific sense of creeping paranoia that is probably recognizable to most urban dwellers, and it somehow both heightens and relieves that pressure. It’s studiously jazzy but jagged around the edges. It’s the most recent in a discography from an artist—real name: Jacob Allen—who knows how to bottle musical atmosphere and throw it out into the ocean. We sent Allen some questions about his life as a Londoner in Atlanta, his songwriting process, dub music, dreaming vividly, and more. Give it a read below.

You were born in London but are now based in Atlanta. What is one thing you love about where you are now? What is one thing you miss about England?

Puma Blue: I love the trees in my backyard. I miss everyone knowing how to make tea. 

⁠Trip hop is clearly a major influence on some of this new music. Does that style “hit different” in Atlanta? How does making it in a different context feel? I assume you hear more trap 808s than breakbeats while moving around ATL. Now that I think about it, though, Dungeon Family production has its trip hop moments.

Maybe it has affected my music making in an unconscious way. I love how loud people will pump music from their cars, we’re so polite in England that we forget the communal, vibrational force of music sometimes. But I feel less like fattening up the 808s and crunching up the drums has come [less] from my environment and more from stepping out of shyness, owning it a little more. I think I’ve been impaired in the past by a fear of being noticed. Historically I’ve felt strange about birthdays. 

⁠How often do your tracks start with drums? It seems like a foundational part of your sound, and not just because of your background as drummer.

About 40 percent of the time if I had to guess. I love drums and always have. I haven’t owned a drum kit since I sold my childhood drums to help pay for rent back in 2014 and I miss drumming so much. That’s not really an excuse by any stretch but I miss them and hope to own a kit again one day. I think programming brings me some of that joy. To be fair, so does bouncing off of Ellis’s drumming with my guitar when we play live.

What lessons have you learned from dub music and production and applied to your own music?

Man so much. Space. Depth. Contrast. Immersion. Wonkiness. Less is more. Just feeling. Something about music feeling dark and "mean" but I can’t put that into words. I’m a huge fan of filtered space-echo delay, deep bass, chord stabs … I think my biggest takeaway though has probably been just the affirmation that music doesn’t have to sound sonically polished or clean for it to absolutely connect.

What is “Hush” about? How did that track come together?

"Hush" is about regret and shame and the mask of masculinity. I wrote this one in a hotel room with MIDI piano, bass and a pretty trashy drum loop that would all be replaced by real instruments later. When I’m bored these days I make an effort to do something better than scroll on my phone, so I’ve gotten into playing cards and reading more books. One of these dull evenings I thought it would be funny to write a James Bond theme song and this was what I got. Ironically though it ended up kind of estranged from that original thought, I can imagine these lyrics applying to toxic old James.

Do you read any spy novels or watch any spy movies? Are those an influence?

Well, not except for when I’m on a Bond kick. I guess my closest thing to that would be Ghost Dog or Heat, which I adore. Oh and like everyone else, I loved the Andor show. I grew up with a deep love for Star Wars, and who wouldn’t want a political espionage series set in the Star Wars world?

⁠The album explores the idea of these prophetic dreams, where you get a glimpse into how you will die. Do you actually dream vividly? Have your own dreams influenced the record beyond just the concept?

I always assumed everyone dreamt vividly don’t they? So, if I’m in the practice of writing my dreams down every morning, I remember a lot, but if I fall out of practice, my memory retains less and less. Sometimes imagery comes from dreams, or feelings that I can’t describe aptly enough in words, they can sort of make their way into my writing and producing. Also the cover art is supposed to look like a kind of astral projection. Maybe somewhere between the bliss of intimacy and a nightmare.

As a fan, what music are you excited about right now?

One of my all time favorites bands that only had the one album for ten years finally dropped a follow up out of nowhere and I was so happy, it’s called Khadim by Mark Ernestus’ Rhythm Force. I just got put onto Eliana Glass, her E album is cool. I really connected with Salami Rose Joe Louis’ record Lorings and I’m so excited that she’s opening for us on tour. My partner and I can’t stop listening to FKA Twigs’ Eusexua, and the Afterglow album that followed it. If Chappell Roan has an album in the works that is anywhere near as good as Subway and Good Luck, Babe’ then I think it could be one of my favorite pop albums ever.