New Orleans musician Sleep Habits, the moniker of Alan Howard, is excited to share his new reflective EP, Mourning Doves, via NOLA’s DIY scenemaker Kiln Recordings. Featuring the lead single “Antique Mall,” the EP is a melancholic folk and twangy collection of tracks with hazy, mellow acoustics, slow and daydreamy instrumentation, and sad, reflective lyrics.
"The original idea for this EP was inspired by the album ‘Killers and Stars’ by Patterson Hood. Specifically the way that album was recorded. I wanted to try evoking a similar sense of space to those recordings,” Howard said about Mourning Doves. “Hoping to record songs that hadn’t found a home on any official release, I reached out to my friend Tyler Scurlock about doing live recordings in his living room. ‘Mourning Doves’ was recorded as a live take with Tyler, Noa Jamir, Quinn Bankston, and myself with special care being taken to capture the sound of the space we were in (Mac’s fiddle was overdubbed later). This recording set the tone for the EP and the rest of the songs were recorded with that special sense of space in mind.”
LISTEN TO MOURNING DOVES
A collection of five songs, Sleep Habits' newest EP is a warm and nostalgic reflection of memories and relationships. The first look at the EP came with “Antique Mall,” a mellow and synth-focused track reflecting the tendency to treasure and archive memories, clinging to conceptions of the past even as life continues to shift. The track featured a music video with a collection of warm, vintage visuals that reflect the liminal space people often traverse when reflecting back on memories and their sense of identity. Howard is soft and delicate on the EP with the sentimental track “Hold Your Name,” the piano-guided instrument-only “Helen’s House,” the in-depth story of “Space Between,” and the melancholic and slow title track “Mourning Doves.”
WATCH THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR “ANTIQUE MALL”
Sleep Habits has been an active project within the New Orleans music scene for several years. Howard’s previous releases include the 2023 EP, Trinkets and Horses, in collaboration with Mariah Houston and the 2022 solo album Ouchie!. Sleep Habits’ music dwells in the space between the organic sounds of acoustic DIY and experimental shoegaze, often resulting in collaboration. Mourning Doves was largely recorded live in the living room of Howard’s friend, Tyler Scurlock. In recording the EP through these live takes alongside Scurlock, Noa Jamir and Quinn Bankston, Mourning Doves aptly captures both the nuanced dynamism of live production and the sound of the space itself.