NEW RELEASE: Dayna Stephens’ ‘Hopium’

Acclaimed saxophonist Dayna Stephens and his supergroup explore the overlapping lines of optimism and cynicism and their roles in the human experience with Hopium, out February 7, 2025

The human condition is a state rich with duality. One’s desires may walk hand in hand with one’s drive to succeed, while one’s doubts may run before those same desires, sabotaging the road to success at every turn. Lauded saxophonist Dayna Stephens saw this paradoxical duality play out before him regularly on both the individual and societal levels. His observations and ponderings led him to create Hopium, a musical exhibition that explores the interweaving threads of hope for a better future and cynicism of that future realistically happening that seems to be present within the hearts and minds of every person. Accompanied by the personnel of his critically acclaimed 2021 album, Right Now!, Stephens and his cohort musically examine the internal debate between optimism and disillusionment he finds within himself and sees within the world around him. Over the course of seven tracks, Stephens invites listeners to join him as he reflects on the moments of confusion and clarity that shape everyday life and considers the transformative power of truth pervasive through it all. 

The album’s title, Hopium, is a succinct summary of the album’s central themes, neatly wrapped in a witty portmanteau combining the words “hope” and “opium”. The two words from which the title is derived signal the bandleader’s thoughts on the nature of humanity and the nature of hope, which so spurs humanity ever onwards. “Hope can be both empowering and deceptive,” Stephens says. “It can offer a sense of solace while occasionally blinding us to the harsh realities present.” In this way, hope may be both a driving force and a sweet, addictive demise that holds one captive, as the state of hoping for something is so often easier than the state of working towards that same hope. 

The ensemble present at Hopium is something of a reunion. Comprising the star-studded cast of Aaron Parks (piano), Ben Street (bass), and Greg Hutchinson (drums), this is the same quartet who so phenomenally came together to create Stephens’s beloved 2021 live album, Right Now! Live at the Village Vanguard. The band’s familiarity with one another enabled an ease of musicianship and level of trust that catapulted this record beyond even the sum of their incredible parts into a work of art that is truly resounding in both musical maturity and artistic message.

Each of the seven tracks is an original composition, written entirely by Stephens except for track six, which was composed by Parks. The album opens with Drive North To Find The Oranges Out West. Ripe with metaphorical significance, this track was written to express how the path one must take in life is anything but straightforward. With analogous musical motifs, the track uses the idea of oranges to represent fulfillment while the drive and direction represent the overlap of freedom and uncertainty. “Road trips for me are often driven by a desire to escape and experience unfamiliar landscapes,” Stephens says. “This track brings to mind the vastness of the open road and wide horizons where each mile brings new possibilities.” The album continues with Jump Start, an homage to Herbie Hancock’s “A Jump Ahead.” Musically, this track is mesmerizing, reactive, and uncertain, as the entire band is on their toes following the bassist Ben Street’s real-time decisions. Every 32 bars, Street signals the top of the form, signaling that the band – and symbolically, the listener – is starting anew. At each new cycle of the form, Street leads the rest of the ensemble in a new harmonic direction as he sees fit. “It’s literally and metaphorically the sound of seizing the moment, breaking free and pushing forward with urgency and drive,” Stephens says.

The third track on the album is Trust. A pensive piece, “Trust” reflects on that central element around which all relationships of all natures revolve. “‘Trust’ reminds us of the vulnerability and strength in placing faith in others and in ourselves as we face unknown tomorrows and how fragile that trust can be when we do,” Stephens says. The fourth track, Hopium, is the album’s title track. Aptly placed in the center of the album, “Hopium” is the thematic cornerstone that holds the album’s message up. “There’s a sense of both euphoria and denial here as this piece explores the space between optimism and denial,” Stephens says. “The piece ends on an unresolved chord intentionally, which leaves the door wide open for cynicism to enter into the frame.” Occasionally Cynical musically navigates the moments in which doubt outweighs belief and the apparent harshness of reality pollutes the idealism of hope. Despite the morose weight of this theme, Stephens clarifies the clandestine brightness of it. “Even here, the cynicism is temporary,” he says. “It’s an almost predictable passing state in the ebb and flow of emotional tides.” Paralleling this ebb and flow is the pervasive push and pull of the harmonies that undergird the entirety of the track, signaling to audiences which part of the emotional state the composer is in at any given moment.

Hard-Boiled Wonderland is pianist Aaron Parks’s contribution to the album. Thematically, this piece draws on author Haruki Murakami’s ideas of alternate realities while musically Parks leans into the sounds of Sam River’s “Cyclic Episode” and Chick Corea’s “Humpty Dumpty.” Using the two songs akin to the dual worlds of Murakami’s novel, this piece examines the line between conscious and subconscious through escapism and introspection in the life of the individual. The album concludes with As Truth Rises Above Power and features guest guitarist Charles Altura to create an anthemic soundscape, underpinned by tones of defiance, resilience, and integrity. “This piece is a reminder that truth, no matter how suppressed, will eventually emerge victorious,” Stephens says. Akin to the title track, this piece, too, ends unresolved harmonically. However, where “Hopium” lacks the resolution to allow cynicism to enter metaphorically, this piece stands open-ended in a manner that calls audiences to go forth and do likewise in pursuit of truth.

Dayna Stephens has already established himself as a powerhouse in the contemporary scene, with landmark albums showcasing a mesmerizing command and virtuosity. Now, with Hopium, Stephens establishes himself as a poet-philosopher: a musician capable not only of mastering the art to its finest degree but of articulating the heart and soul of humankind with all the oscillating gentleness and fervor of humanity itself.

Hopium releases on February 7, 2024. 

Tracklist 

1. Drive North To Find The Oranges Out West
2. Jump Start
3. Trust
4. Hopium
5. Occasionally Cynical
6. Hard-Boiled Wonderland
7. As Truth Rises Above Power