Puma Blue’s surprise album antichamber is a beautiful and intimate insight into loneliness; specifically, as Puma Blue (real name Jacob Allen) puts it, ‘aching winter loneliness.’ After picking up a nylon-stringed acoustic guitar while alone in his apartment, Allen started to write extremely personal songs that were akin to journal entries.

The intimacy of these tracks is extremely noticeable and it’s easy to appreciate how they started out as demos intended only to be heard by Allen himself. With nine songs and four ambient pieces, antichamber is a vulnerable journey through isolation and the vast landscape that comes with it. The tracks vary in length but it is often on those shorter ones, like opener ‘debris’, that realise the melancholic atmosphere of the LP. The mood is often heavy, sometimes ominous as it feels mysterious. As the album progresses, there is a lightening tone and a feeling of light breaking through, becoming more uplifting and, in the case of ‘in my wildest dreamland the penultimate song ‘long term parking’, there is a dreamy, lullaby quality that starts to establish itself.

The lyricism bares itself like diary confessions. There is heartache throughout but it is the lyricism that drives home that emotion the most. “You’re a distant star that I call recall. I will sit and wait, wait for you as my heart breaks,” and “I wrote a letter full of mistakes just to say that I’d like to see you again,” from ‘whilst my heart breaks’ and ‘gone is the grace’ respectively, emphasises the intense emotions of longing and heartbreak. The hushed singing also contributes but the use of layering mirrored vocals gets the most out of the listener, immersing them into the world of the record and evoking strong, consistent emotions that mirror the tone of each song.

Space is an important theme in the project, seen in the song lyrics ‘You’re a distant start,” and “I woke up this morning only to find no space in my heart,” (tapestry). The inspiration taken from the vast woods surrounding Allen’s landscapes influenced the writing and the connection with nature is most evident in the closer ‘decatur bells’ with bird song accompanying the instrumentation.

Interludes on the album are used as a way to help process the heavy vulnerability. They offer a respite from the intense emotions and allow the listener to slow down and not be overwhelmed. They also help guide the theme of the overall LP, establishing the mood and tone for the next few tracks to follow.

By the end of antichamber, Allen singles himself out as a thoughtful and sensitive songwriter, able to evoke poignant emotions with vivid, beautiful images. The simple production on the record, most often just an acoustic guitar and layered vocals, emphasises the writing and instrumentation and ensures that the intimacy of the piece is not forgotten. It is a heavy album when listened to and connected to properly but one that is rewarding with its exploration into isolation and romance in the modern age.

pre-order antichamber by Puma Blue HERE