Interview Hallucinophonics

Hallucinophonics return with “Haze of Time,” a shadowy, introspective chapter that blends gothic depth and psychedelic atmosphere. In this interview, the band explores transformation, isolation, and the immersive world of their upcoming album, Falling.

1. "Haze of Time" feels like a sonic descent into existential isolation. What inspired the lyrical and emotional core of this track?

"Haze of Time" represents a pivotal moment in our artistic trajectory. Following the completion of Theatre of the Absurd in November 2025, we found ourselves naturally gravitating toward darker, more introspective sonic territories. This track serves as the opening statement for Falling, our forthcoming album scheduled for early 2026, which explores themes of winter, isolation, and internal transformation. Lyrically, we're examining those liminal states where personal identity becomes fluid—the profound silence of winter nights when conventional markers of time and self dissolve. It's an exploration of existential solitude not as something to fear, but as a space where deeper truths can emerge.

2. Your sound merges gothic rock's darkness with neo-psychedelia's dreamlike textures. How did you arrive at this intersection between shadow and transcendence?

Our sonic identity has evolved through a deliberate synthesis of influences—the atmospheric architecture of Pink Floyd, the emotional gravitas of Porcupine Tree, and the contemporary psychedelic innovations of artists like Tame Impala. While Theatre of the Absurd explored a broader emotional palette, Falling represents our commitment to a more focused aesthetic vision. We're particularly interested in music that can hold contradictory states simultaneously: beauty emerging from darkness, hope residing within melancholy. The gothic elements provide structural weight and emotional anchoring, while the psychedelic textures create opportunities for transcendence and altered perception. This duality reflects our belief that the most profound experiences exist at these intersections.

3. The song explores "redemptive light through temporal fog." How do you personally interpret this metaphor — is it about hope, transformation, or acceptance?

We view this metaphor as encompassing all three concepts in a unified framework. The temporal fog represents those inevitable periods of disorientation and uncertainty—moments when our perception becomes unreliable and our path forward unclear. The redemptive light, however, isn't a final destination or permanent resolution. Rather, it manifests as intermittent moments of clarity that penetrate the obscurity, reminding us to continue forward even without complete understanding. This concept is central to Falling's thematic architecture: finding navigation through darkness, trusting in guidance that may be diffused or fragmented but nonetheless present. It's about the courage to move through uncertainty with the faith that illumination exists.

4. Hallucinophonics often explore consciousness and altered perception. How does music act as a vehicle for that kind of metaphysical exploration?

Music possesses a unique capacity to bypass cognitive filters and engage directly with consciousness at a fundamental level. Through our production approach—layered soundscapes, spatial manipulation via reverb and delay, evolving textures that shift the listener's temporal perception—we're able to create genuine alterations in how people experience reality during the duration of a track. This has always been central to our artistic mission: crafting immersive sonic environments that transcend passive listening and become active experiences. We're interested in music as a legitimate tool for consciousness expansion, a means of accessing perceptual states that reveal aspects of existence typically obscured by conventional awareness.

5. The production feels both dense and spacious, especially in the Dolby Atmos mix. What was your vision for the sound design and its immersive qualities?

The Dolby Atmos format enabled us to fully realize our vision of genuinely three-dimensional sonic architecture. Our approach involves creating dense, multi-layered compositions—multiple guitar voices, synthesizer textures, atmospheric elements—while maintaining spatial clarity so each component retains its distinct identity within the overall landscape. With Falling's winter-focused aesthetic, we were particularly intentional about creating a sense of vast, cold space. The production is designed to evoke the experience of standing in a frozen landscape where sound travels with crystalline clarity across distance.

We want listeners to feel completely enveloped, experiencing the music as an environment they inhabit rather than simply observe.

6. Many listeners compare your atmosphere to artists like Pink Floyd, The Cure, and Porcupine Tree. How do you balance homage with originality?

These comparisons are profoundly meaningful to us, as these artists established the foundations upon which we build. However, our approach isn't imitative—we're engaging with a lineage of progressive and atmospheric rock while bringing our own perspective and contemporary production sensibilities. From Pink Floyd, we've internalized the courage to experiment with form and prioritize atmosphere over convention. From The Cure, we've embraced emotional vulnerability and the power of gothic aesthetics. From Porcupine Tree, we've learned sophisticated progressive structures that serve emotional narratives. Our originality emerges from synthesizing these influences through our unique creative vision and the sonic possibilities available to independent artists today. We view ourselves as part of an ongoing conversation rather than attempting to recreate past achievements.

7. The lyric "I have no name, but I see a silver light" is haunting. Can you tell us more about the imagery and what it symbolizes to you?

This line represents a moment of ego dissolution—the experience of all constructed identities, social roles, and self-definitions falling away while consciousness itself persists. The absence of a name symbolizes liberation from the limiting frameworks we use to understand ourselves.

Yet even in this state of namelessness, perception continues: the silver light represents intuition, guidance, or perhaps some fundamental awareness that operates beyond identity.

It's about discovering that navigation is possible even when we've lost our conventional reference points. This concept is particularly significant to Falling's exploration of transformation through darkness—the idea that we can find our way not through certainty or identity, but through something more essential.

8. Visually and conceptually, your music has a cinematic feel. How important is visual storytelling to Hallucinophonics' identity?

Visual storytelling is absolutely integral to our artistic identity. We approach each release as a complete multimedia experience where sonic and visual elements work in concert to create a cohesive aesthetic world. Every aspect—from album artwork and animated visuals for platforms like Apple Music to our overall visual language across social media—is carefully considered as part of the narrative we're building. Theatre of the Absurd had its distinct visual identity, and with Falling, we're deliberately shifting into darker, more monochromatic palettes that reflect the album's winter mood and thematic content. We believe music is inherently abstract, and thoughtful visual storytelling provides essential context and entry points into the emotional and conceptual landscapes we're creating. It's about constructing a complete artistic statement.

9. "Haze of Time" seems to mark a new chapter for the band. How does it differ from your previous releases in tone and intention?

"Haze of Time" definitely represents a significant evolution in our artistic direction. Theatre of the Absurd, released in November 2025, explored a diverse range of moods and atmospheres—some darker, some more uplifting. As the lead single from Falling, which releases in early 2026, "Haze of Time" establishes a more focused, cohesive vision: darker tonalities, nocturnal atmospheres, and imagery centered on winter and introspection. There's a deliberate restraint in this new material—we're working more with space, silence, and negative space, allowing the atmosphere to develop organically rather than filling every moment. It represents both a natural progression and a conscious choice to explore more shadowed, contemplative territory. We feel this evolution reflects our growth as artists and our willingness to commit fully to a particular aesthetic vision.

10. You describe your music as "an invitation to perceive reality through different frequencies." What do you hope listeners discover when they close their eyes and enter your sonic world?

Our fundamental hope is that listeners discover the expansive, fluid nature of consciousness itself—that there are entire perceptual and emotional landscapes available when we allow ourselves to tune in differently. We want our music to serve as a portal to whatever transformation or insight each individual needs in that moment: perhaps catharsis, perhaps connection to something transcendent, perhaps simply permission to explore darker emotions without judgment or resistance. With Falling specifically, we're inviting listeners into a particular space—contemplative, nocturnal, winter-focused—that encourages deep introspection. Music has the power to alter consciousness without any external substances; it's simply a matter of openness and intentional listening. If our work allows someone to see their reality from a slightly different angle, to access emotional states typically obscured by daily life, or to feel genuinely transported to another space—that fulfills our artistic purpose.

hallucinophonics.com