If you knew how and when you were going to die, how would it change the way you choose to live? Croak Dream, the new album from Puma Blue, is a ruminative exploration of that very notion, as well as a celebration of rebirth. Written in solitude and brought to life in collaboration, Croak Dream was conjured from tape loop sessions at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, co-produced and engineered by Sam Petts-Davies (The Smile, Frank Ocean), where the band improvised to fragments of Allen’s songs they’d never fully heard. The result is a dreamlike collage of baritone sax-drenched ballads and restless grooves: tender, feverish, and alive. Conceptually-the album reflects on the interlocking nature of past, present and future, with Allen tackling questions of fate, vulnerability and transformation in provocative new ways. Musically, Croak Dream charts a new path for Puma Blue, fusing lo-fi jazz balladry with jungle breaks, krautrock textures and trip-hop atmosphere, balancing bold sonic experimentation with raw emotional clarity.

“Sonically both intricate and intimate” — DIY ★★★★

“Croak Dream is not just a tender and candid documentation of rebirth for Puma Blue, but a peek at an artist intrepidly shedding the weight of expectations and falling in love with his own vulnerability.” — Clash ★★★★

“an album strong in its convictions and beautiful in its presentation.” — Rolling Stone UK

“Puma Blue exists in this nocturnal hazy hurricane.” — God Is In The TV ★★★★

“quietly transformative” -Earmilk