ALBUM REVIEW: Hermanos Gutiérrez Explore Their Cosmic Instrumental Roots on ‘Sonido Cósmico’

The title of Ecuadorian-Swiss band Hermanos Gutiérrez’s new album translates to “cosmic sound.” It’s a bit literal for the type of moody, cross-cultural, instrumental music that the band makes, but the name also seems to capture something deeper, more spiritual between brothers Alejandro and Estevan.

Hermanos Gutiérrez (photo by Jim Herrington)

Although Sonido Cósmico is the brothers’ sixth album together, it’s just their second album with Black Keys band member/producer/record label owner Dan Auerbach and Easy Eye Sound, rendering Hermanos Gutiérrez still fairly new to US audiences. Their label debut, El Bueno Y El Malo, which translates to “the good and the bad” and was partially inspired by Ennio Morricone’s The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly soundtrack, came out in 2022. With younger brother Alejandro playing lap steel and electric guitar and older brother Estevan playing electric guitar and percussion, Hermanos Gutiérrez got their start writing and recording just as a duo. But on El Bueno Y El Malo, Auerbach suggested bringing in some of Nashville’s most trusted and reliable session musicians to help expand their sound.

Hermanos Gutiérrez songs often meet with stereotypical descriptors of “cinematic,” “experimental,” or “psychedelic” — and they are! But those words don’t fully convey the nuance of the music, which is sparse, yet rich in dynamics, with melodies memorable enough for listeners to hum along with. On Sonido Cósmico, the brothers also integrate organs and synthesizers throughout, as well as a standout wah pedal effect on songs like “Cumbia Lunar” and “Barrio Hustle” and orchestral-like strings on the title track.

Although instrumental records can be difficult for many lyrics-centric listeners to tap into, Sonido Cósmico is a remarkably visual album. Both the English and Spanish language song titles, like the opening “Lágrimas Negras” (“Black Tears”) and closing “Misterio Verde” (“Green Mystery”), seem to serve as portals for the imagination. Additionally, Hermanos Gutiérrez keep these tracks around the same length as other “popular” songs with lyrics, making them easy to focus on instead of banishing them to the muzak abyss.

By combining elements of Latin American percussion (like bongos, maracas, and claves) and forms like cumbias, salsas, and milongas, Sonido Cósmico stands firmly in the realm of roots music. Plus, the brothers keep remarkable rhythmic time together, for as Auerbach has been known to quip, “They are Swiss.” Together, these multicultural sounds and themes of spiritual and psychic connection showcase how Hermanos Gutiérrez’s contemporary, instrumental music exemplifies the widening umbrella of roots music.

Hermanos Gutiérrez’s Sonido Cósmico is out June 14 on Easy Eye Sound.