For nearly three decades, STS9 has existed in a world of their own making. It’s a space where rhythm becomes ritual, improvisation becomes communion, and sound takes on the weight of something almost spiritual. Few bands have managed to remain as forward-moving, as imaginative, and as connected to their audience as Sound Tribe. Even with a legacy rooted in evolution, their newest studio album, Human Dream, still feels like a breakthrough. It carries the clarity of a band reflecting on its past while stepping boldly into its next era.

Written, produced, and recorded entirely in their Santa Cruz studio, Human Dream emerged during a period marked by uncertainty and upheaval. The pandemic separated them physically. The massive CZU Lightning Complex fires destroyed bassist Alana Rocklin’s home and threatened the studio itself. With skies glowing a surreal burnt orange and the future shifting by the day, the band poured their energy into creating something that felt human, honest, and alive. The album became a vessel for processing loss, rebuilding connection, and imagining what comes next.

The final result spans nineteen tracks that feel both expansive and deeply personal. There are ambient meditations, drum and bass surges, intricate jazz textures, lush strings, and cinematic collaborations that broaden the sonic palette while preserving the organic heartbeat that defines STS9. It’s intimate and infinite at the same time. It invites listeners inward while lifting them beyond the ordinary.

And there may be no place where that world resonates more naturally than Colorado.

STS9 and Colorado have grown alongside one another for decades. From sold out Red Rocks weekends to marathon multi-night takeovers to their induction into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, the state has become a true second home. Fans treat each show like a pilgrimage. The community connection feels less like a crowd and more like a gathering of family.

This January, STS9 returns for a five-night Colorado run in Aspen, Fort Collins, and Denver. They’ll bring Human Dream to life through reimagined arrangements, expanded improvisation, and a new visual production designed by Martin Phillips of Big Giant Eye and programmer Drew Mercadante of SupervoidTV. The band describes this upcoming tour as both a continuation of everything Colorado has meant to them and the beginning of a new creative chapter.

Below, STS9 shares the story behind Human Dream, the emotional journey of making the record, the collaborators who shaped it, and what Colorado fans can expect from one of their most anticipated runs in years.

[Rooster]: You’re kicking off 2026 with a five-night Colorado run, including Mission Ballroom, Aspen, Fort Collins, and two Denver shows. What does returning to Colorado feel like at this point in your career, especially after releasing Human Dream? 

[STS9]: We love playing in CO!! We always feel so much love and support from the music community and we’re excited to share where we are as a band musically since coming out with the new album. 

Colorado has been a second home for STS9 for decades. How have the energy and expectations of Colorado crowds shaped the way you prepare for runs like this one?

It’s inspiring!! Playing in a place like CO where fans know our music so well always makes us push ourselves to do new things and brings out the best in us! 

The album was written during wild circumstances, including the massive Santa Cruz fires that directly affected your lives and studio. How did those experiences shift the emotional tone of Human Dream, and do you feel that intensity translates differently in a live setting?

The CZU fires effected us deeply. Alana’s house burned down and her and her family had to leave Santa Cruz. This all happened in the middle of the pandemic, while we were already trying to figure out how to continue working on the album with COVID restrictions, so the fires took that separation to a whole other level. Even though we had a bunch of songs for the album already, we ended up writing even more songs once we were able to be back together. So we just kept working on it! Which is why there’s 19 songs, and we still didn’t include all the songs we were been working on. Big Basin is a song dedicated to the fires and we tried to channel the energy of that experience into that song. The whole experience definitely added to the emotional equity of the album and we always channel that during our shows. 

The album blends ambient explorations, heavy dance moments, drum and bass, strings, and vocal collaborations. What parts of the record are you most excited to reinterpret or expand on during this tour? 

Some of the newer songs that we haven’t played much live, like “Reminisce” and “Portal to the Starry Path”. Some songs we’ve reworked for the album we’re excited to keep exploring like “Presence of Light” and “Year Infinity.”

You collaborated with Armanni Reign, Maureen Murphy, and Matt Combs on this album. How do you approach integrating those vocal and string elements into a live STS9 performance without losing the organic flow of your improvisation?

I think we collaborate with incredible musicians that make it really easy. Armanni has such a unique and special viewpoint as an artist. Everything we give him, he sends it back and it just fits! His connection with LTJ Bukem just makes the relationship even more in sync as Bukem is a huge inspiration to us for so many years. 

Matt Combs is an old friend of Alana & Brad (our engineer) from college. He’s a Nashville staple and has played and recorded with everyone from John Hartford to the Black Keys, and was a member of the Grand ole Opry band. He plays all the string instruments and so he’s able to create string arrangements that just enhance the songs in the best way. He also contributed to The Universe Inside, so we’ve been working with him for years.

Maureen Murphy is one of our favorite collaborators and people. We adore working with her and she can literally can do anything vocally. We’ve been working with her since 2012 and so when Hunter had this vocal idea for “Life’s a Symphony In Unity, It’s Alright”, we immediately called her and she brought the song to life!! Her resume is insane!! She’s worked with everyone from Zac Brown to Phish to Griz, and she’s currently on tour with Eric Church.  We’re so fortunate to work with all these musicians and integrating their parts into the show is effortless because they’re so amazing!

This album feels both intimate and cosmic, especially with tracks like “Walk the Sky,” “Presence of Light,” and “Portal to the Starry Path.” What visuals or stage elements are you building to deepen that sense of wonder on this tour?

We’ve been working hard for the last year on a new lighting concept with designer Martin Phillips/Big Giant Eye (Daft Punk) and programmer/operator Drew Mercadante/SupervoidTV (Radiohead). We’re so stoked on the level of integration and precision that we’ve reached over the last year and can’t wait to take it to the next level in 2026!! We’re using video and lights in a new way, and recently added lasers with the help of Mike Morgenstern/Quantum fx (Clozee) that has really taken it to the next level!!

STS9 has always balanced improvisation with detailed production. When you’re touring a fully conceptual record like Human Dream, how do you decide what stays structured and what gets reinvented night after night?

We’re always looking for opportunities to expand songs and connect them in ways people aren’t expecting. Combining old and new songs, adding modular improvs, remixing songs or adding new sections. We love exploring all the possibilities. We’ve also been leaning hard into the flow of sets, making sure the apex of the night is in the right spot. We spend a lot of time working out our sets. It’s so fun and the fans inspire a lot of it!!

Fans often talk about STS9 shows as spiritual or transcendent. Do you feel that Human Dream represents a new chapter in that journey, and how do you hope listeners interpret the album when they hear it start-to-finish?

Thanks for saying that! We hope it is both spiritual and transcendent. Human Dream is really an extension of the bands message throughout our career. We are all stardust. We are all connected as humans. We hope people are reminded of that, and inspired by it! Listen to the album all the way thru, it’s a journey!

Colorado holds a special place in your history, from multi-night Red Rocks runs to your Colorado Music Hall of Fame induction. Does this January run feel like a continuation of that history or the beginning of a new era?

Both! We wouldn’t be in this moment without the history and what playing in CO means to us, but we feel this is also a new era in many ways!

You’ve said that art and imagination can “humanize the world.” How do you hope Human Dream contributes to that mission, especially in a live context where the audience becomes part of the story?

Live concerts are such a special moment, especially for our band. We always talk about the symbiotic energy at our shows with fans and how we’re sharing energy back and forth throughout the show. We want to feel that connection. It’s so special!! When you’re at an STS9 show, you’re with family.