With “Hallucinations,” Dublin’s cult psych-pop visionary Stray Planets (the project of songwriter John Butler) delivers one of the most dazzling and thought-provoking singles of the year. Acting as the lead track from his upcoming EP Are You Real, Cristobal Leedy?, it captures everything that makes Butler one of Ireland’s most quietly brilliant and original musical minds — his playful surrealism, cinematic sound design, and knack for twisting pop conventions into something deeply human and strange.
Produced by long-time collaborator Rían Trench (RÚN, Solar Bears, PANIKATAX), “Hallucinations” is a kaleidoscope of sounds and emotions. It’s a song that feels like stepping into a lucid dream — vivid, disorienting, and emotionally resonant all at once. The track features guest vocals by Dara Kiely of Gilla Band, whose voice perfectly channels the song’s unsettling narrative: a woman trapped at the mercy of a malfunctioning AI, forced to watch her own image morph and distort beyond recognition. It’s both haunting and hypnotic — a story that feels eerily relevant in an age where technology constantly blurs the line between the authentic and the artificial.
Musically, the song is a Technicolor triumph. Butler builds a lush, swirling soundscape that recalls the warped psychedelia of artists like Vinyl Williams or Jacco Gardner, while still feeling entirely his own. Layers of shimmering synths, woozy guitars, and ghostly harmonies merge into a sound that’s both nostalgic and futuristic — like a lost broadcast from another dimension. The production glows with confidence and curiosity; every sonic detail feels deliberate, as if it’s part of a larger, prismatic vision.
What stands out most about “Hallucinations” is how it balances emotional weight with wild imagination. There’s an undercurrent of melancholy beneath the track’s bright surfaces — a sense of longing for something real in an increasingly artificial world. Yet, Butler never gives in to despair. Instead, he leans into the surreal, transforming anxiety into art. The song mirrors its title perfectly: a hallucination you don’t want to end.
Kiely’s contribution is particularly striking. His vocal performance is both detached and fragile, as if sung by someone trying to hold onto their humanity in the face of digital collapse. It’s a brilliant pairing — two of Dublin’s most inventive artists creating something that feels simultaneously intimate and alien. The collaboration highlights Butler’s strength not just as a songwriter, but as a curator of mood and meaning.
As a preview of Are You Real, Cristobal Leedy?, “Hallucinations” sets the stage for what promises to be one of the most imaginative Irish releases in recent memory. The EP’s concept — exploring identity, artifice, and authenticity in the algorithmic age — feels tailor-made for Butler’s restless creativity. If this single is any indication, he’s once again turning introspection into spectacle, crafting songs that shimmer with both beauty and unease.
In a time when much of pop feels engineered for easy consumption, “Hallucinations” reminds us that great music can still challenge, surprise, and move us in unpredictable ways. Stray Planets has always thrived in the margins — but with this track, John Butler proves he’s ready to step into the light, hallucinations and all.
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