In an era of TikTok trends and viral soundbites, Hermanos Gutiérrez remain out of step. The Swiss-Ecuadorian brothers—Alejandro and Estevan—are releasing their most ambitious record yet: Los Ojos del Cóndor, arriving September 25.
This is not just another instrumental album. The duo traveled to the Peruvian Andes—the ancestral home of their great-grandfather—and created a sonic journey that echoes the landscape they explored. The lead single, "Canto Andino," pairs mountain visuals with music that mirrors the region's shifting weather patterns.
Back in the studio with producer Dan Auerbach (the Black Keys guitarist), Hermanos Gutiérrez have created something layered. Estevan played nylon guitar throughout the entire album—the same instrument their father gave him as a child. Alejandro brought the charango, a South American stringed instrument, weaving in sounds of Argentinean Milonga and Cumbia.
What distinguishes them: no singers, yet their music never sounds empty. The layered rhythms and space they create form the voice. It is their third collaboration with Auerbach, and this partnership has pushed them into new sonic territory.
In a streaming landscape obsessed with features and hook-heavy hits, a duo creating complex, instrumental-only music that demands focused listening stands apart.
