There are songs that drop into my week like a forgotten film scene, and “Mirrors Of Illusion” by Jon Hood is a great example of that.
There’s something about Jon Hood that always feels slightly out of phase with the real world, in the best possible sense, and “Mirrors Of Illusion” leans right into that charm. It shimmers with that psychedelic tilt they’ve been nurturing since “Body Semantics”, yet it never lets go of the grounded, soft folk-rock comfort that makes their music feel like a familiar bench in an unfamiliar park. I hit play and instantly felt that slow movie-fade quality—the kind where colours shift around the edges and everything breathes a little slower.
I love how this track seems to float while still keeping its feet on the floor. The melody spirals gently, like a carousel hung in the sky, but it never drifts too far; it keeps that steady pulse that makes Jon Hood so easy to fall into. The vocals are glass-clear—pure in a way that’s almost tender, like a teardrop balanced on a dove’s wing—and the arrangement grows with such subtle confidence that you hardly notice how big it becomes until you’re wrapped in it.
Knowing that this single sits ahead of their upcoming album “Pieces of Reality” helps everything click into place. The song toys with light and shadow, with the fragility of what we think we’re seeing, and they manage to do it without fuss—just gentle psychedelic hues and a chorused warmth that keeps the edges soft. There’s a dreamy pop lift to the chorus that feels like it’s spinning colours on the wall, the kind you want to fall backward into. And despite the theme, despite the little fractures in perception they hint at, the track holds you like it’s trying to reassure you: you’re safe inside this one.
About Jon Hood:
Jon Hood—Joan Seiler, Martin Schenker, David Hänni, and Mario Hänni—have always thrived in that liminal pocket between reality and its reflections. Swiss in roots, with a beautifully contrasting Costa Rican-Swiss voice at the centre, they carry a blend of moods and aesthetics that’s instantly recognisable. The evolution of their work since 2017 shows a band unafraid of shifting shapes, letting their songs breathe, expand, and occasionally wander into dream-territory without ever losing their sincerity. It’s the kind of growth that feels natural, like watching light tilt across a room.
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