Hermanos Gutiérrez

Instrumental duo Hermanos Gutiérrez consists of brothers Alejandro and Estevan Gutiérrez. Their sound, built on traditional guitars, lap steel, and organic percussion, conjures distant landscapes and rugged terrain stretching from Ecuadorian coastlines through Mexican deserts into the American Southwest. Core influences include Ennio Morricone and Stelvio Cipriani film scores, vintage psychedelia, and Latin and South American recordings spanning 1950 to the 1970s. The pair’s first release, 8 Años, surfaced in 2017 and painted symbolic sonic vistas inhabited by outlaw spirits. Their 2018 follow-up, El Camino de Mi Alma, introduced an electrified flamenco edge framed by surf-style reverb. Hoy Como Ayer, issued in 2019, fused bolero, cumbia, and psychedelia, while 2021’s Hijos del Sol emphasized upbeat, physical energy. Recorded in Nashville under producer Dan Auerbach, 2022’s El Bueno y el Malo preceded the 2024 Barrio Hustle EP and sixth album Sonido Cósmico, both also guided by the same producer.

Raised in Switzerland by an Ecuadorian mother and Swiss father, the brothers absorbed both cultural traditions from childhood. Their grandfather, an Ecuadorian guitarist, exerted the strongest pull through his bittersweet renditions of older songs, particularly Julio Jaramillo’s “Nuestro Jurnamento.” The siblings began playing guitars together as children and adopted their name in homage to admired sibling ensembles such as Los Hermanos Lebron and Santo & Johnny. They developed a wordless rapport in which one would lay down a melody or rhythm and the other would complete it instinctively. Summer and holiday visits to relatives in Playas, Ecuador, deepened their connection to regional sounds, while broader exposure to music from Argentina, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and Cuba reinforced a special affinity for Mexico’s evocative repertoire.

After Estevan settled in Zurich, Alejandro’s visits shifted focus from sightseeing to music-making. Alejandro relocated there in 2015, prompting serious songwriting. They rented a local studio and self-released 8 Años—named for the age gap between them—on vinyl and digital formats, intending only a family keepsake. El Camino de Mi Alma was tracked in the same space under identical intentions, yet during those sessions their compositional dialogue tightened, eliminating the need for explicit cues. Small live performances followed the album’s appearance and gradually built an audience.

Hoy Como Ayer was captured in a Berlin facility whose resources allowed greater sonic scale without sacrificing intimacy; the record moved fluidly through instrumental boleros, cumbias, and folk pieces. Hijos del Sol was also laid down in Berlin just before the pandemic, reaching listeners in 2021 while much of Europe and the United States remained under quarantine. Online circulation of the music connected audiences, fellow musicians, and writers, among them Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach.

Auerbach contacted the brothers via social media; a twenty-minute call led to their signing with his Easy Eye Sound imprint. They began writing immediately, then traveled to Nashville to work at his studio. Within thirty minutes of arrival, recording commenced when Auerbach discreetly captured their presentation and later asked them to start again. The initial piece became the title track of El Bueno y el Malo and defined the session’s direction. Auerbach preserved their core approach while introducing subtle textural elements—sparing drums, castanets, strings, and congas—that heightened dramatic focus. He also helped realize a challenging melody they had developed and contributed guitar to the track at their request. Advance single “Tres Hermanos” preceded the album’s October 2022 release. Returning to Auerbach’s studio at year’s end, the duo completed the five-track Barrio Hustle EP and followed it with Sonido Cósmico in June.