Love as loss, love as obsession, love as a heavy burden… That’s where he used to tread.
The average listener's apathy is killing me. "Castillo Interior", the double EP released five years ago, should have attracted to Pumuky at least some portions of Jamie Stewart’s (Xiu Xiu) and Jim Tamborello’s (Dntel) fanbases. But it didn’t. I hope now the things are gonna change.
Pumuky has once again become a band—Mariano (bass) and Albert (drums) have joined the lineup. How long were Jaír and Noé on their own—seven years? Eight? They needed to spend that time adjusting to changed circumstances: starting families, the birth of daughters... The things like that. The tracks for "Castillo Interior" were recorded by Jaír at night on a laptop while Nayra and Gara were asleep. The new album was recorded at La Mina, Raúl Pérez’s Granada-based recording studio responsible for my last year's Top3 albums.
There’s a tangible hope that "No Sueltes Lo Efímero" will hit the mark. All three pilot singles received a unanimous reaction, often dubbed "universal acclaim". Journalists, fans, and casual listeners alike are thrilled. "Lo Recuerdo Todo" (the second single) feels like the heaviest song in the band’s back catalogue. Jaír once shared the story of "La Singularidad"—the third single—on Twitter: the song traces back to "Erizar La Alma" from Pumuky’s 2003 debut demo. 259 months in the making.
Every Pumuky album is like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle: no two are alike, yet each undeniably belongs to the same picture. The same multiverse. "No Sueltes Lo Efímero" seamlessly connects with "Plus Ultra" (2011) and "Justicia Poética" (2015): shoegaze and slowcore, a bradycardic rhythm, and a velour-lined wall of sound. Ethereal electronics and guitars—so loud and dense, yet creating a sense of fragility, a half-reality of what’s happening.
Plus Jaír’s voice—a voice "from the other side," a voice "from another planet." Utterly detached from both earth and sky.
The album has no weak spots. They could have randomly picked three other songs as singles and still gotten the same universal acclaim. "Terriblemente Bello", "Estudio Sobre Mi Rabia" and "Hablando Con Los Animales" - this selection could have been as strong as any other.
What haven’t I mentioned yet? Myself. For me, this is deeply personal story. My favorite and historically significant band (alongside Yo, Estratosférico). My friends. I’ve hugged their wives, I’ve given their daughters the toy rabbits. I’m as biased as it gets, and I’m absolutely thrilled to be that biased when my favorite band's new album comes out.
That’s how it goes.
