It’s rare to find a debut artist who emerges in their late forties with such emotional clarity and sonic maturity, but Martin Kuiper, the Dutch singer-songwriter behind Dreaming of a Sea of Time, is anything but typical. Following his 2024 debut To Feel Is To Believe, Kuiper returns with a rich and introspective five-track EP that both continues and deepens his exploration of time, dreams, and the emotional landscapes that shape us.
Released on April 17, 2025, Dreaming of a Sea of Time is the second part of a planned trilogy that will conclude in 2026 with Prison of Modesty. And if the debut was a declaration of belief—in self, in emotion, in expression—this new EP is about the passage of that belief through time: how dreams persist, how love evolves, and how memory reshapes meaning. It’s an EP that feels like it was written with both a tender heart and a thoughtful mind, and you hear that balance in every track.
From the very first song, “Dreams,” Kuiper captures the bittersweet duality of hope and regret. “Dreams can haunt you or lead you,” he sings, and it’s a line that seems to linger long after the track ends. The song is steeped in reflection, asking whether it’s worth chasing the things that once inspired us or safer to let them go. The instrumentation here is lush but restrained, letting the lyrics take center stage while subtle synth layers hint at Kuiper’s evolving sound.
Synth textures are, in fact, one of the most notable developments on this EP. While To Feel Is To Believe leaned more heavily into folk-rock and classic pop arrangements, Dreaming of a Sea of Time is more adventurous. Tracks like “Hanging On a Pink Moon” carry a dreamlike atmosphere that’s built on ambient pads, melodic bass lines, and dynamic layering. This song, in particular, stands out as a heartfelt homage to the healing power of music. Referencing Tim Hardin’s How Can We Hang On to a Dream and Nick Drake’s Pink Moon, Kuiper builds a bridge between personal grief and universal comfort, using melody as a balm.
“Sea of Time,” the centerpiece of the EP, brings the project’s title into full view. It’s a reflective ballad about aging, memory, and the tension between longing and acceptance. “The older you get, the less time you have,” Kuiper sings with gentle urgency. But instead of resignation, the track offers a kind of peaceful acknowledgment—life moves on, and that’s okay. The arrangement swells with cinematic flair, led by expressive drums from Jeroen Hobert and shimmering guitar textures from Erik Neimeijer and Jim Zwinselman, who again bring Kuiper’s compositions to life with warmth and precision.
Then there’s “Baby,” a quiet and surprisingly touching track that reframes a well-worn pop word. Written over thirty years ago, Kuiper revisits this early song with a new lens, imagining it as a message from a parent to an unborn child. It’s simple and poetic, and it encapsulates one of Kuiper’s strengths: turning personal emotions into songs that feel universal without losing intimacy.
The EP closes with “Seven Days,” a love song that captures the fragile thrill of early romance. It’s hopeful and honest, acknowledging the vulnerability that comes with letting someone in. The melody is memorable, and the lyrics gently lean into the fear that often accompanies love: “Does the other person feel the same?” Kuiper doesn’t pretend to have the answer, but he’s brave enough to ask.
What makes Dreaming of a Sea of Time so compelling is its sincerity. There’s no forced coolness, no overproduction, no trend-chasing. Kuiper knows who he is and what he wants to say, and he says it with clarity and care. He’s a storyteller with decades of life behind him, and that depth shows in the way he crafts his music.
At 49, Martin Kuiper made a rare and courageous move: releasing his first album. With this second release, he proves that the journey was never about late starts—it was about building something meaningful, piece by piece, from lived experience. He describes working with his collaborators as a dream, and fittingly, Dreaming of a Sea of Time is an EP built on dreams—lost ones, old ones, fragile ones, and those that still lie ahead.
In an industry that too often prioritizes youth and speed, Martin Kuiper reminds us that there’s beauty in taking your time. Because when you finally share your truth, as he does here, it resonates all the more.
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