Written and reviewed by Krysta Ayers

MAY 10, Austin, Texas—The ACL Live was packed on Friday night. The Hermanos Gutiérrez sat on stage, backlit by a halo of sunset-invoking colors, and soothed the crowd with their melodic guitars, lap steel, and latin-influenced percussion. The Sonido Cósmico tour was underway and the brothers were primed to take the crowd on a sonic journey.

As the strumming began, the entire theater was silenced into awe by the duo’s fingerpicking and transportative songs. Every cough was stifled, any foot tap was unheard, and any “woot” or loud cheer was held until the song’s end. Estevan Gutiérrez, guitar still in his lap, between songs said, “You’ve been so respectful about listening to us,” and thanked the crowd for taking in each song and giving the brothers the space and time to do what they love.

Estevan Gutiérrez / Photo: Hunter Levy Photography

If you weren’t already aware, Hermanos Gutiérrez are an instrumental guitar duo made up of Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez. They play Latin- and Western-infused music that heavily comprises the sounds of their travels and transports listeners to tranquil and far-out landscapes. Influenced by spaghetti Westerns and the classical, vibrant sounds of cumbia and salsa—and that is exactly what is so brilliantly played for their set.

Alejandro Gutiérrez / Photo: Hunter Levy Photography

“We’re here to tell stories with our music. Aquí va,” Estevan interluded before the brothers sonically painted a scene with “Cumbia Lunar.” They played “Thunderbird,” “Tres Hermanos,” and the titular, “Sonido Cósmico.” They took the crowd to Peru and then the sandy desert with its cotton-candy skies, creating the songs on the spot with the loop pedals.

Though the theater was packed, it held moments of intimacy, like when the crowd was rewarded with two songs the duo admitted that they don’t play live often: a deep-cut from 2017’s 8 Años, “El Mar,” and a cumbia version of “Cerca De Ti.” The two songs were played with a full band on stage, the latter becoming upbeat and danceful from a seated position—and which should immediately be recorded in this style for streaming.

What was so great about this show was that it felt like the two erudite musicians were in their recording studio laying out the tracks live with their loop pedals. They were in tune with each other and so practiced that each song was brought to life as if it always existed at the tips of their fingers. Each instrument introduced new tones, layers, and feelings. A heartbeat sounded in the taps of the bongos and a sweep of psychedelic melodies interlooped with nostalgic notes to tug at the crowd’s emotions. If you listened to André 3000’s instrumental flute album, New Blue Sun, think of an Hermanos Gutiérrez show as the long-established prelude.

While the brothers claimed that the journey in each song was to some new, idyllic destination comprising Latin American countries and the cosmos, I think the road most traveled that Friday night, in the chair-lined theater filled with an expectant and gratuitous crowd, was a journey of emotions as we all processed the tender sounds of classical Latin guitar plucking, the pull of the lap steel singing against Alejandro’s fingers, and the way in which the crowd seemed to breathe more freely, completely hypnotized by the lush sounds blaring from the speakers.

They got a standing ovation.