Grammy-winners for their 2018 debut, Opium Moon make seductive, richly atmospheric music that draws as much from their imaginations as from their respective roots in Iran, Israel, Canada, and the United States. On February 12th, auspiciously the Lunar New Year, the virtuosic quartet rises again with “Opium Moon” — the first EP from their forthcoming double album DAY + NIGHT (due later this year through Six Degrees Music).

Echoing the new album’s concept, the song “Opium Moon” is offered in interpretations evocative of both day and night, with a danceably upbeat, groove-laden “day” version and a sensual, languorous “night” version of the song, each presented in long- and short-form renditions (for a total of four tracks).

Violinist and vocalist Lili Haydn says, “In this chaotic and divided time, we wanted to create a world in which you can explore your sensuality and also another world where you feel like jumping up and dancing. Music that creates a ‘world’ can bring us together in shared feeling and experience — building bridges, not walls.”

The band’s unique, mesmerizing music indeed creates a “world” all its own, rhythmically driven by MB Gordy’s potent percussion and Itai Disraeli’s highly innovative bass, and resplendent with Hamid Saeidi’s shimmering Persian santoor and the rich fluidity of Lili Haydn’s violin lending dazzling contrast. Opium Moon’s original compositions marry hypnotic ancient grooves with sacred and classical elements from both East and West, and the result is a sultry, uplifting, and rapturous sound — world music from another world, described by NPR’s Bob Boilen as “spacious and timeless.”