Pumuky's Comeback Album Earns Top 2025 Accolades

Canary Islands band Pumuky is celebrating a major success: their fifth album, No sueltes lo efímero (Keroxen 2025), has been named one of the best of 2025 by top music magazines like Rockdelux, MondoSonoro, Muzikalia, Hipersónica, and CrazyMinds. This marks a triumphant return for the band after a ten-year break from releasing full-length albums.

Brothers Jaír and Noé Ramírez, who founded Pumuky in 2003, brought in new collaborators for this highly praised record. Jaír Ramírez is thrilled about the recognition, explaining that being on these major lists "can be a way to make ourselves known." He adds, "Today it's really complicated, with so many works being released every month and so many stimuli. In the end, it's hard for people to find you."

To celebrate this great reception, Pumuky is wrapping up their tour this weekend, with the final shows taking place this Saturday, January 31st, across Andalusia.

No sueltes lo efímero was a long time in the making, taking several years to complete. But with all the positive feedback, that long effort now feels worth it.

"It really did take us a long time," Jaír confirms. "During the pandemic, my brother and I released an EP called Castillo interior by ourselves. The band had become a bit disorganized then, but we decided we wanted to bring the group back together to perform on a larger scale. So, from that point until 2024, we focused on rebuilding the band and started working on the new album with our new members."

Now, all that hard work is paying off with this recognition, as specialized press calls it one of the best albums released in Spain recently. How does that news feel?

"It's been a huge joy," Jaír shares. "It's always great when others appreciate what you do. Honestly, it was completely unexpected. We know how tough it is to get on these lists, especially with so many albums coming out and us still being a relatively small band. So, it was a really big surprise."

He explains that at this stage of their career, they create music mainly for themselves. "For us, music is still about having fun, connecting with people, and expressing ourselves – that's the most important thing. Artistic expression is still healing for us. So, we made this album because we needed to. Everything else, all the positive feedback, has been a bonus. We never imagined such a response."

So, for Pumuky, is making music more about the creative process itself, rather than performing live?

"For me, the creative part is definitely the most important," Jaír states. "When I'm writing an album, I don't even think about performing it live. We worked on this latest record during a time of uncertainty; we didn't have a record label and weren't sure if the songs would ever be released. So, we made the album thinking that maybe no one would ever hear it."

He continues, "That's usually how I work: I create songs without knowing if they'll be heard, imagining they might just be for my close friends. But I think that actually helped us. It meant there was no pressure on the album; we weren't worried about whether people would like it or if it would sell. In a way, that gave it a greater sense of authenticity and honesty that we might not have achieved otherwise."

How would Jaír describe No sueltes lo efímero? "I think it's a complicated, challenging album," he says. "It's definitely not one you'll fully grasp on the first listen, as it doesn't follow any current music trends. It's not a 'trendy' album, so to speak."

He believes that making the album for their own enjoyment is precisely what helped it connect with listeners. "We've seen since its release that the songs have really resonated with many people."

Considering Pumuky's long career, where does this new album fit in? "The word 'ambition' isn't usually in our vocabulary," Jaír explains. "Above all, we like to do things carefully. But that can be ambitious too, especially when, artistically, we aim to create something that first surprises and pleases us. That's often very difficult because I discard many things I create, not because I think the public won't like them, but simply because I don't like them myself."

He adds, "Because of that, every album we make feels like a miracle. It's incredibly hard to release an album, especially for people like us who have other careers, jobs, and families, leaving almost no free time. So, just finding the time to create something of this scale is a huge achievement. Though, to be fair, making an album isn't easy for anyone these days."

Given that the album was initially about the act of composing and healing, what role do live performances play for the band, and how has the tour for this album gone?

"We have a slightly different relationship with live performances," Jaír admits. "It's not our top priority, and honestly, it's not what I enjoy the most. I see live shows as a way to thank our followers, so I do it out of gratitude."

He notes that touring is very challenging these days, but they wanted to present the new album in venues. "That's why we organized a tour with twelve dates on the Spanish mainland, plus some shows in the Canary Islands. We started in June and are finishing this weekend, moving from the north down to Andalusia."

"It's gone very well, and we're happy," he continues. "Especially because we've seen the audience's reaction firsthand, and music also has that communal side that people really enjoy. Tours give us the chance to play with other bands, meet new people, and connect with our fans. So, live performance becomes a mix of showing thanks and continuing to enjoy the adventure."

What's next for Pumuky in 2026? "We feel like these concerts are closing a chapter," Jaír says. "We have no idea what might come next. If an interesting opportunity to play somewhere else comes up, we'll consider it, but we don't have any medium-term plans."

He concludes, "When we feel the urge to sit down and start composing again, we will. But right now, we have no future plans. We don't think the success of this album will push us to immediately create another, or something bigger than what we've already achieved."