Estevan and Alejandro Gutierrez are Swiss brothers with Ecuadorian heritage, and their latest album, Sonido Cósmico — “cosmic sound” — was born in part in the desert of the U.S. Southwest. “Driving through New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada [was] definitely an inspiration,” Estevan explains, “but in general, just being on the road and then meeting new people … these are all inspirations that we take.”

Sonido Cósmico released June 14 on Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound label. Hermanos Gutierrez recently visited The Current to play music from the new album. Later, they spoke with Mac Wilson about the record and about working with Dan Auerbach. Watch the performances above. You can also listen to and read a transcript of the interview.

Interview Transcript

Edited for time and clarity.

Mac Wilson: Hello, my name is Mac Wilson from The Current from Minnesota Public Radio. And it's my privilege to be joined by Hermanos Gutierrez, Estevan and Alejandro. Thanks for stopping by.

Alejandro Gutierrez: Hey, man, thanks for having us, it’s such an honor to be part of this.

Mac Wilson: It's great to be chatting with you today. You've got the new record on the way called Sonido Cósmico. And it comes pretty closely on the heels of your last record, which came out in 2022. Was this an instance where you had material leftover from the previous record or did just the iron strike at the right time, and you just felt compelled to go back into the studio? Tell us a little bit about what you had in the tank for coming up with a new record.

Alejandro Gutierrez: So yeah, I think mostly being on the road with my brother. And touring has really been the inspiration for this record, like seeing so many different places, especially in the U.S., has inspired us in a way to go back to the studio also, because Dan wanted us to be back, Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys. And, yeah, it just felt like a more universal record, just being on the road, seeing so many cultures, was kind of the approach on this one. And we came up with new ideas, we had a couple of ideas that we found them during soundcheck while being on the road. So it's kind of a mix of new things and things that were there but not fully finished. So yeah, it's like a good mix of what's been happening in the last one and a half years, two years.

Mac Wilson: So given that it's mostly instrumental music, audiences may not be able to put together specific like imagery that you've had. But what are some specific, like spots, especially in America, that inspired the recording of this? Are there any, like, mental images that really stick out in your mind that really, like, took your breath away and inspired the music for this?

Estevan Gutierrez: I mean, one of our favorite places is the desert. So driving through New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, like, it's definitely an inspiration, but in general, just being on the road and then meeting new people. And yeah, sometimes also, like, getting tired to be on tour, you know, and so, these are all like inspirations that we take. And yeah, we wanted to create a new vibe after El Bueno Y El Malo, which was based a bit in this spaghetti western. And so with Sonido Cósmico, we were taking the spirit de los hermanos, and we're lifting it up to the space through the universe, and we create this new sound, Sonido Cósmico. And yeah, that that's the idea of the new album.

Mac Wilson: Last summer, my son and I, we took a trip to Arizona for the first time because he specifically wanted to see the desert; he had never seen it before. And one thing that really struck me about the desert in that area is that the landscape, it really does change. Sometimes mile for mile, the desert is not just one specific thing; the vegetation and the the terrain changes for any given mile that you're in. And I feel like a lot of the recorded music that you have on this record really reflects that, too, like everything is kind of shifting and changing. 

Alejandro Gutierrez: Oh, thank you, we really appreciate it. And I think you're right. I mean, the desert has so many faces; like, you can to the high desert and it's totally different vegetation than being on the coast or close to the ocean. And I think that's what we tried to do, like, to create a diverse record, and try to capture that essence of the desert while trying to lift it up to the universe. So yeah, I think that's what we tried to do.

Mac Wilson: So when you went back into the studio with Dan Auerbach, what sort of framework did you have for any given song when you stepped into the studio? Were you like, "OK, we've got a certain number of sketches," or was it more of jamming in the studio? How did the songs come together once you were actually in the studio?

Estevan Gutierrez: No, I mean, we had 11 songs ready, and we wrote one song in the studio, my brother and me. But everything else, we had it written here in Switzerland. We were like the last summer every day, writing songs, and yeah, finding new melodies. So when we flew to Nashville, we had like, 92% of everything written, but we had like our mind open because we wanted to know what Dan was still hearing, like, which instrument he would add on it. And if he would use, like, I don't know, drums on this or just percussion. So this time was like the whole process of writing and adding, like, new material. It was different because we wanted to see what Dan hears because he's such a talent. And so that was also such an incredible experience to work with him again this time.

Mac Wilson: Yeah, is this this the second record that you've made with Dan?

Alejandro Gutierrez: Yes.

Mac Wilson: So I'm sure the first time around that you worked with him, you got a lot of questions of, "Oh, when did you meet Dan? Like how did this all come to be?" I guess I'm curious, then, and you've sort of already answered this, but what is it about working with Dan Auerbach that clearly made it such a productive and rewarding experience where you knew that you wanted to go back with him and work for the second time?

Alejandro Gutierrez: I mean, just his studio in Nashville is an amazing experience, Easy Eye Sound. From the gear, from the atmosphere, from the people working there, the sound engineer — chief sound engineer, Alan Parker, he's such a great person. So just the whole treatment of each other, and like how we respect and how we want to approach this record, we knew what's going to happen, and so it was an easy call, like, just to go back to Nashville and do it right there. It's such an inspiring place, and everything you touch, from the amps to the guitar, it's just sounds great. So it's the perfect environment to be creative and try out new things.

Mac Wilson: I'm thinking back to a story now that I read about the Black Keys a couple of years back where when they went into the studio to make an album, they had like it basically nothing done, and they basically jammed out the whole record in a couple of weeks. And that seems the opposite of what you've thought with that. So it's interesting, the different approaches that Dan takes with it, whether he's working with himself or working with other people. Is that something that you've noticed, too?

Alejandro Gutierrez: I think each band has a different approach. That's how we work. And we've got to have a vision, a clear picture of what we want to do in the studio to feel free and confident enough to be creative. And I think Dan, he's so flexible, he is like trying to adapt in the best way he can. I think it's also a job as a producer to kind of capture that essence of each band. And he does it in excellence. Like he was so respectful. And he really tried to add stuff in the most respectful way and not to impose anything. And yeah, it was a very effective way of writing this time. So I think it was beneficial for all of us. We didn't waste any time. We were, like, going straight to the point of each song and trying to capture that essence, that soul, the spirit, and I think it worked out pretty well.

Mac Wilson: My next question comes from one of our digital producers, Luke Taylor, he brought this up to me, that there is a band of brothers that started off in Switzerland, and they moved to the Americas and they're the Krüger Brothers. And they work in the Americana genre, and they're based out of North Carolina, and we're curious if you have any connection or if you've worked with them. Are you familiar with them at all?

Estevan Gutierrez: Never heard, never heard that. I thought you were doing a joke. No. Never heard, we have to look them up. Never heard them. What's the name? Krüger?

Mac Wilson: The brothers Krüger. It's to the point where it was sort of uncanny where we were chatting about it beforehand, and he's like, "You're never gonna believe this, you're talking to Hermanos Gutierrez, but there's this other band of brothers where they've taken on like a totally different sound," and yet, like, a lot of the trajectory that you've taken is so similar and yet you wound up in different sort of genres. So what is it about brothers coming out of Switzerland?

Estevan Gutierrez: I don't know. I'm sorry. I think my brother also never heard of the other brothers, and I don't know. I think our our background is our father is Swiss and our mother's from Ecuador, so that is a bit of a special, yeah, connections that we have always for two countries. And so I think a lot that we feel is always some nostalgic feelings and like being in this country but never feel like being home, if that makes sense. You know, that's something that we ever felt and which you can also feel in our music.

Mac Wilson: We are chatting with Hermanos Gutierrez and the new record. I said the name of it wrong at the beginning; I said SOH-nee-do Cósmico, but it's Sonido Cósmico, their new collection of stuff. I'll make sure I get the accent correct from now on. But Hermanos Gutierrez, Alejandro and Estevan, it's really great to chat with both of you today, give us a little insight of the new record, and thanks for stopping by to chat.

Alejandro Gutierrez: Thank you so much, Mac.

Gallery: Hermanos Gutierrez in studio

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Songs Performed

00:00:00 Sonido Cósmico
00:03:47 Until We Meet Again
00:06:54 Low Sun

All music from Hermanos Gutierrez’s 2024 album, Sonido Cósmico, available on Easy Eye Sound.

Musicians

Estevan Gutierrez – guitar
Alejandro Gutierrez – guitar, lap steel

Credits

Guests – Hermanos Gutierrez
Host – Mac Wilson
Producer – Derrick Stevens
Video Director – Peter Ecklund
Audio Engineer – Derek Ramirez
Camera Operators – Peter Ecklund, Megan Lundberg
Graphics – Natalia Toledo
Digital Producer – Luke Taylor

External Link

Hermanos Gutierrez – official site