All it took was one vintage photograph of Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez’s father standing proudly at Machu Picchu back in 1987 for the brothers to find the spark that would ignite their next major artistic chapter. That foundational image served as a portal to the past, reminding the Swiss-Ecuadorian guitar instrumentalists of their rich South American lineage and setting them on a deeply personal creative journey.
The resulting studio album, Los Ojos del Cóndor — which translates in English to “the eyes of the condor” — arrived on Friday as a sweeping love letter to the stories, the atmospheric sounds, and the profound energetic magnetism of South America’s majestic Andes mountain range.
For the siblings, who have steadily built a devoted global following with their cinematic instrumental soundscapes, the pivot toward the Andes felt less like a calculated career move and more like an inevitable homecoming. Reflecting on the genesis of the project during an interview earlier in the year, Alejandro explained that the direction emerged from an internal artistic need. They wanted to move away from the expansive desert atmospheres and cosmic sonic textures that defined their previous work to discover an entirely new emotional and geographical landscape. They realized that nothing in the natural world carries the sheer strength and spiritual power of the Andes, a geographical spine connecting nations from north to south, making the record a heartfelt dedication to the entire region.
Spanning 10 meticulously crafted tracks, Los Ojos del Cóndor connects the brothers’ cinematic work through a recurring musical motif. This signature thread weaves seamlessly through the arrangements, sometimes emerging softly via gentle guitar phrasing and at other times pulsing through warm, resonant organ tones. This delicate interplay creates a continuous, flowing sense of movement and geographic transition across the entire record.
True to their organic recording ethos, Estevan performs every track on the very same nylon-string guitar that his father gifted him when he was just eight years old. Meanwhile, Alejandro expands the duo’s sonic palette by introducing the charango — a traditional Andean stringed instrument carved from animal shell or wood — on several key songs, adding an authentic and earthy texture to their signature hypnotic groove.
The album marks the third time the Ecuadorian-Swiss duo has joined forces with The Black Keys frontman and acclaimed producer Dan Auerbach. Auerbach previously sat behind the mixing board for their 2022 breakout project, El Bueno y El Malo, as well as their acclaimed 2024 LP, Sonido Cósmico, the latter of which successfully landed on the Billboard 200 chart with its spacious, dreamy aesthetic that intertwines delicate Latin pulses with hypnotic guitar melodies.
Recording once again at Auerbach’s famed Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville, the brothers found a rare balance between artistic autonomy and professional validation. Estevan noted that while recording in Nashville, Auerbach acted as a guiding and supervising presence, but crucially allowed the brothers absolute freedom to execute their vision. That unique feeling of having total creative liberty while knowing a trusted musical authority was approving their direction made the studio environment exceptionally comfortable and productive, transforming the recording process into a deeply special experience.
Yet, embarking on such an intentional, culturally specific project initially felt like a significant gamble for the brothers. Los Ojos del Cóndor deliberately spotlights a sweeping geographical region that connects Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The title itself carries immense cultural gravity. Historically, the condor holds a sacred, almost divine place across countless indigenous Andean traditions. The ancient Incas, for instance, revered the magnificent bird as a supreme ruler of the upper world and a sacred messenger bridging the mortal realm with the sun god. Today, the majestic creature remains an enduring symbol of unyielding power, spiritual elevation, and absolute freedom throughout the Andean highlands.
Given the immense cultural weight of the subject matter, the brothers initially harbored quiet doubts about whether they, as musicians raised in Europe, could authentically capture the profound essence of the Andes. The ultimate confirmation they desperately needed arrived only after they completed the music and traveled to Peru to experience the landscape firsthand.
Describing the journey as a transformative and slightly surreal experience, Estevan recalled visiting Machu Picchu and traveling broadly across Peru, where the realization struck them with absolute clarity. Standing amidst the historic ruins, they felt a profound sense of belonging, realizing that the music they had constructed in a Nashville studio inherently belonged to this land. It provided the ultimate confirmation of their artistic labor. While they deeply loved the record from its inception, they admitted lingering uncertainties about whether the concept would truly resonate. Those doubts vanished entirely when they played the tracks for native residents of the region. Local listeners embraced the music instantly, remarking that the sound authentically originated from their homeland, prompting the brothers to laugh and remind them that they actually hail from Switzerland.
The arrival of the new album is accompanied by a striking visual companion for the track “Alma Mia,” which features intimate behind-the-scenes footage of the brothers recording inside Auerbach’s Nashville studio. The visually arresting project was brought to life by director and animator Robert Schober, an industry veteran renowned for his iconic music videos for legendary rock acts including Metallica ("All Nightmare Long"), Green Day ("Stray Heart"), and The Killers ("The Cowboy’s Christmas Ball").
Among the ten tracks, pieces like "Los Andes," "Los Ojos del Condor," and "Canto Andino" stand out as masterclasses in atmospheric tension and release. "Canto Andino," in particular, drifts fluidly between bright, uplifting melodies and darker, brooding slide guitar tones, effectively mirroring the sudden and dramatic weather shifts native to the high Andean peaks. Meanwhile, on the title track, galloping percussion rhythms and lingering, melancholic lap steel notes brilliantly evoke the soaring flight of a giant condor gliding effortlessly on high-altitude thermal currents.
Born in Zurich to an Ecuadorian mother and a Swiss father, Estevan and Alejandro also possess deep Peruvian roots through their great-grandfather. A defining chapter of their lives occurred when Alejandro was 20 and Estevan was 28; the siblings spent an entire year living in Ecuador surrounded by their mother’s extended family. It was during this formative immersion that they first began making music together, planting the seeds for what would eventually become their professional partnership. Their enduring dedication to their South American heritage remains visible in every facet of their career, from their consistently Spanish-language album titles to their evocative, culture-soaked sonic identity.
With Los Ojos del Condor, Hermanos Gutiérrez sought to dive considerably deeper into those ancestral roots while simultaneously holding firmly onto the raw, unpolished spirit that defined their early days as musicians.
Estevan reflected that while the project represents a fresh artistic step forward, they consciously resisted the urge to reinvent themselves completely. Instead, they wanted to circle back to the very beginnings of Hermanos Gutiérrez, an era when it was just two brothers in a room playing two guitars, relying on minimal overdubs and avoiding outside studio musicians. Inspired deeply by the classic album Hijos Del Sol, they set out to recreate that pure, unadorned sonic atmosphere from their formative years.
The complete track list for Los Ojos del Cóndor includes:
- Canto Andino
- Los Ojos Del Cóndor
- Alma Mia
- Ciudad Inca
- Yanantin
- La Danza Del Viento
- Tren Macho
- Waway
- Los Andes
- Dios De La Paz
