Hermanos Gutiérrez - “El Bueno Y El Malo”

SXSW 2024 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 9

Pairs Well With…Rodrigo y Gabriela, Khurangbin, Gipsy Kings

Hermanos Gutiérrez’s 2022 record El Bueno Y El Malo is some of the prettiest and most engaging modern guitar music you can hear today, period. With light Latin jazz and folk accompaniment, the Swiss brothers are able to equally express both emotion and virtuosity in their playing. They rarely overdo it though, letting each note ring out in romantic, precise ways. Balance that with threads of ambience and patient patterns within their songwriting and Hermanos Gutiérrez continue to hit the sweet spot through every minute of El Bueno Y El Malo. Prolific artists since their 2017 debut 8 Años in 2017, this latest full-length is album number six and does show growth from those releases in terms of both texture and songwriting. Delicacy and precision are both instilled in Hermanos Gutiérrez’s sound, a factor that makes this the kind of band to see up close as they swing through SXSW before kicking off a Spring tour in Atlanta this March. (Kevin McStravick)