Emerging from the vibrant city of Dublin, Ireland, John Butler, known professionally as Stray Planets, is a songwriter, producer, and psychedelic pop visionary whose music blurs the line between the surreal and the profoundly human. Butler’s artistic journey has been marked by experimentation and reinvention, beginning with early work under the moniker Tigers of Tin Pan and later as Mr. Hula Hoops, where even playful tracks about pasta sauces and news presenters revealed a sharp wit and an innate understanding of pop sensibilities. Over the years, Butler has developed a unique voice, blending the hallucinatory textures of psychedelia with deeply personal, emotionally resonant storytelling. A self-described psychedelic pop shapeshifter, Butler has drawn inspiration from a wide spectrum of musical eras, filtering classic psychedelia through his own contemporary lens.
His sound has been compared to luminaries such as Vinyl Williams and Jacco Gardner, yet remains entirely distinct, refracting influences into kaleidoscopic, era-hopping compositions. Throughout his career, Stray Planets has been celebrated not only for his sonic inventiveness but also for his prolific output, blending humor, reflection, and experimentalism with a profound understanding of musical craft. Collaborations have been central to Butler’s creative evolution. In particular, his ongoing partnership with acclaimed producer Rían Trench, known for work with RÚN, Solar Bears, and PANIKATAX, has resulted in some of Ireland’s most extraordinary contemporary releases, including the highly anticipated EP Are You Real, Cristobal Leedy?. Their collaborative synergy ensures that Stray Planets’ imaginative visions are realized with meticulous attention to sonic detail and emotional depth.
On 7th November 2025, Stray Planets unveils “Hallucinations”, the vibrant lead single from his forthcoming EP Are You Real, Cristobal Leedy?. The track features the ethereal vocals of Dara Kiely from Dublin’s revered Gilla Band, adding an intimate and haunting human element to a song that thrives on surreal, technicolor imagery. Inspired by the unsettling experience of a woman at the mercy of a faulty AI, watching images of herself twist in strange, uncontrollable ways, “Hallucinations” is a kaleidoscopic exploration of perception, vulnerability, and the uncanny intersections of humanity and technology. Musically, the single exemplifies Butler’s signature style: a meticulous layering of shimmering synths, delicate acoustic textures, and subtle psychedelic flourishes that together create an immersive soundscape. From its hypnotic opening to its emotionally resonant climax, “Hallucinations” invites listeners into a world that is at once intimate, expansive, and entirely of Butler’s making, a vivid reflection of his mastery in blending timeless psychedelia with contemporary sensibilities.
The song “Hallucinations” by Stray Planets opens with an atmosphere that immediately envelops the listener in a world that is haunting, fragile, and achingly beautiful, pulling them into a place that feels both intimate and infinite. From the very first moments, distant synth hums vibrate like ghostly whispers, echoing across a vast, ethereal space that is both mysterious and comforting. Reverb-soaked acoustic guitar strings shimmer delicately in the background, their resonance weaving through the track like ripples on still water, giving the sound a tactile presence that touches the listener’s senses in a subtle but profound way. The opening creates a feeling of suspended time, a moment where the outside world dissolves, leaving only the music and the listener’s own emotional response. Tiny sonic details, the gentle hums, the subtle plucking of strings, and the faint shimmering of background textures, coalesce into a soundscape that feels alive, breathing, and emotionally charged. The overall sensation is simultaneously calming and stirring, like walking through a fog that is illuminated by faint, otherworldly light, inviting deep introspection and a quiet surrender to the music.
As the track continues, analog synths begin to rise gradually from the shadows, layering warmth and light across the delicate acoustic textures and giving the track a profound sense of motion and expansiveness. These synths shimmer with a luminous quality, their tones fluid and immersive, gliding over the acoustic and electric guitars in a way that feels natural and deliberate, as if the instruments are in conversation with one another. Soft arpeggiations and ambient sweeps ripple beneath the main layers, adding depth and texture, creating a hypnotic and almost meditative quality that pulls the listener deeper into the sonic landscape. The guitars, both acoustic and lightly effected electric lines, weave between the synths, adding warmth and organic resonance, grounding the ethereal tones with an emotional presence that feels deeply human. Every note, every texture, and every subtle swell contributes to a sonic world that is multi-dimensional and alive, inviting the listener to get lost in the music’s fluidity while feeling a profound emotional connection to its serene yet otherworldly atmosphere.
When the vocals enter, they bring an intimate, human element that intensifies the emotional impact of the track. The voice is soft, tender, and deeply sincere, floating above the shimmering synths and resonant guitars with a warmth that feels both comforting and vulnerable. Every phrase carries emotion, longing, reflection, and subtle ache, that resonates deeply, pulling the listener into a personal, almost private experience. Harmonies subtly layered beneath the lead vocal add a sense of echoing space, creating an immersive, almost cathedral-like atmosphere that amplifies the emotional depth of the performance. The human voice contrasts beautifully with the surrounding ethereal textures, giving the track both grounding and levity, a delicate balance that makes the listener feel both seen and enveloped by the music. The vocals’ calm, pure delivery creates a reflective intimacy that draws the listener in, making the song not only heard but felt, as if the music is speaking directly to the heart.
Midway through “Hallucinations,” the song gradually evolves with more rhythmic and textural complexity, introducing subtle movement while maintaining its hypnotic, dreamlike quality. A soft, measured percussive layer emerges, composed of electronic drum pads and lightly brushed acoustic drums, establishing a gentle pulse that propels the track forward without ever disrupting its calm, immersive ambience. The bassline flows fluidly beneath the instrumentation, adding weight and grounding the sound while complementing the evolving melodic layers. Electric guitars ripple and shimmer with gentle distortion, their melodic lines twisting and turning through the mix in fluid, almost hypnotic patterns. Every layer interacts seamlessly, producing a living, breathing soundscape where each instrument has its own presence but also contributes to a unified, emotive whole. This section feels like a slow journey through shifting landscapes of emotion, where tension and serenity coexist, and the listener is invited to move with the music, letting it guide them through waves of reflection, anticipation, and subtle release.
As the track nears its climax, the psychedelic and electronic elements fully blossom, transforming “Hallucinations” into a richly textured, emotionally expansive experience. Electric guitars with soft overdrive weave intricate melodic lines through the shimmering synth layers, creating a luminous, kaleidoscopic sound that feels alive and fluid. The analog synths expand and pulse with a radiant energy, producing waves of sound that fill the stereo field and envelop the listener completely. Percussion maintains a restrained yet precise presence, giving a sense of forward motion and rhythmic cohesion that enhances the flowing groove without disturbing the meditative atmosphere. Ambient textures, including echoing reverbs, subtle noise washes, and layered harmonics, deepen the sense of space, making the listener feel suspended in a vast, immersive dreamworld. The interplay between electronic and organic instrumentation is flawless, producing a hypnotic, fluid environment that evokes wonder, nostalgia, and quiet awe simultaneously. Emotion surges and recedes with every instrumental flourish, carrying the listener through a fully realized musical journey that feels both intimate and cosmic.
Stray Planets’ Hallucinations is a hypnotic, emotionally immersive journey blending surreal psychedelia, tender vocals, and kaleidoscopic sonic mastery.
By the song’s conclusion, “Hallucinations” reaches a state of transcendent beauty, where the electronic, psychedelic, and acoustic elements converge into a cohesive, immersive emotional experience. The shimmering synths continue to float, the fluid guitars ripple with grace, the bass and percussion sustain a gentle, hypnotic presence, and the vocals linger like a soft whisper, guiding the listener through the final moments. The track evolves seamlessly from its calm, haunting opening into a full-blown, emotionally charged climax while retaining the reflective, meditative essence that anchors the entire piece. Each element, the tender vocals, the flowing guitars, the pulsing synths, and the subtle rhythmic textures, intertwines to produce a sense of movement, depth, and emotional resonance that is profound and enduring. “Hallucinations” leaves a lingering impression, inviting the listener to not just hear the music, but to feel it in every fiber, a hypnotic and unforgettable journey through sound, sensation, and pure human emotion.
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