Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Pumpuli
Introduction of the project Pumpuli is an alternative rock trio from Helsinki, Finland. The name is Finnish for ’’cotton’’ or ’’fluff’’ and it describes the lightweight attitude that the members have toward their music. Pumpuli’s songs range from hard hitting pop-rock tunes to J-pop influenced prog flavored shoegaze epics. Much like a child in a negative age, Pumpuli is full of energy, always changing moods, sometimes happy, other times not…But at the end of the day, always loved! Formed in 2016, the band’s main goal is to create music that’s entertaining both for the listener and for the players. The band’s founding member drummer/singer Aarne answered some questions for European Indie Music Network.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
-That’s a tough one because music has been there for as long as I can remember and there are many early memories connected to music. But it’s probably a memory of my mom singing a lullaby to me or hearing a soundtrack from a cartoon such as the Moomins, Disney’s Jungle Book or Tarzan.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
-I have always loved listening to music, but ever since I formed my first band in elementary school I developed a passion in wanting to create my own music as well. I really admired rock bands and wanted to follow their footsteps. I just thought that playing drums in a band was the coolest thing ever and it became my mission to make it my lifework.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
-After playing in different kinds of bands as just the drummer I wanted to form my own band in which I could take care of the songwriting, singing, and playing drums. This way I could make exactly the kind of music that I wanted to and express myself fully. At the time I was really into more artsy and alternative music and there weren’t a lot of people around me who played that kind of stuff. So I asked some of my most versatile and reliable musician friends to join my new band and we got on a journey that’s been going on for 10 years.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
-The sound of Pumpuli is a fresh mixture of hard rock, pop, progressive rock and shoegaze which creates a fun new kind of alternative rock sound.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
-Listening. Listening to different kinds of music, listening to others’ playing, listening to your own music and playing from different perspectives, and listening to your heart.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
-I mostly write with an acoustic guitar simply because that’s the only instrument I have lying around the house. I used to write a lot of things for Pumpuli with a piano but now I don’t have access to one so often. With my new project TOIVO, I have experimented with different kinds of creative processes such as starting with the lyrics first (pen and paper!), then jamming on some chords with the guitar and finally using Ableton to mess around with beats and sounds. I try to vary the order to keep things fresh.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
-Not sure if you can call them indie anymore but Deerhoof now and forever!
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
-A lot! I believe that personal experiences affect a lot on my drive to make music. They also affect the attitude that I play with, the kinds of songs that I write, etc. The lyrics to my songs are also mostly based on my personal experiences, or at least they function as metaphors on something that reflects on them.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
-I mostly want to just entertain but I hope that people would get different kinds of emotions from our music that can enhance the different events in their lives, whether big or small, special or mundane. The best thing about art is that the consumer can interpret it in their own way and enjoy it in many different ways.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
-Be yourself, have dreams and believe in them. And most important: have fun!
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
-The usual…London Wembley, Tokyo Budokan…Haha. But in reality, any venue or festival where the audience, big or small, fully engages with our music and has a great time.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
-Probably Phil Collins, as he’s one of my favorite musicians at the moment and we both sing and play drums. It would be nice to write a song with him and perform it together.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Pumpuli – https://linktr.ee/pumpuliband TOIVO – https://linktr.ee/t0iv0
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
-I’m hoping that more people will discover our music and we get to play more and more shows! We’re planning on releasing our debut LP with Pumpuli in 2026 and hoping to play a killer album release show in Helsinki. We have also launched another project called TOIVO with the same members and we’re hoping to release more songs with that project as well, and build a strong fanbase!
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
-I feel like that’s up to the listeners…But I hope it’s something positive ;).
