Old Words, New Worlds: Peter Haeder’s Strange and Beautiful Album "A Dream Within A Dream"

Peter Haeder’s new album, A Dream Within A Dream, is one of the more unusual releases to come out this year, and that’s exactly why it stands out. Instead of writing new lyrics, Peter pulled straight from the poems of Edgar Allan Poe and rebuilt them into modern electronic tracks. It sounds like a strange idea at first, but once you hear it, it makes sense. The mix of old poetry and steady electronic beats gives the album a mood that feels calm, dark, and strange in a good way.

Peter, who is based in Auckland, recorded everything in his own studio. You can feel the care in the way the songs are arranged. Nothing feels rushed. He lets Poe’s words carry most of the weight, and the music sits underneath like a quiet engine. He describes the whole project as Poe’s poetry laid over EDM, and that’s probably the best way to put it. The album came out on November fourth, and it feels like something he has been building toward for a long time. The poems already have a deep emotional pull, and Peter leans into that rather than trying to change it. The result is an album that might feel unusual at first, but it grows on you quickly.

The track The Raven opens the album; This one sets the tone right away. Peter keeps the steady, haunting feel of the poem but adds a slow electronic pulse that makes the repeating lines feel heavier. A Dream Within A Dream; Probably the softest track on the album. The poem’s famous question about what is real fits well with the calm, drifting beat behind it. The Conqueror Worm feels a bit sharper. The rhythm has more drive, and the poem’s darker lines come across with more bite. Alone just takes you through those emotions, yet a simple track. Peter doesn’t overdo anything here. He lets the sadness of the poem speak for itself, with a light beat underneath. Spirit of the Dead sits in a slower, darker space. The music feels almost still at times, giving the words room to land. Ulalume-A Ballard is a steady, echoing track that matches the wandering feeling of the poem. It’s one of the more atmospheric pieces on the album.

Peter hasn’t announced any shows, and he’s pretty humble about the whole thing. He recorded it all himself, mixed it himself, and even used some AI tools to help shape certain sounds. It fits his style: he likes to work alone, follow his instincts, and keep things honest. He often repeats the phrase, Where you go, there you are. The album reflects that. It doesn’t try to be something big or dramatic. It just stays true to what it wants to do: bring old poems into a new space without losing their meaning.

A Dream Within A Dream is a unique release. It’s simple, bold, and made with a lot of care. If you want something different from the usual playlist rotation, this album is absolutely worth the time.

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