New Orleans-based songwriter Alan Howard, known for his intimate and emotionally rich project Sleep Habits, returns with Mourning Doves, a quietly powerful five-song EP released through NOLA’s DIY tastemaker label Kiln Recordings. Rooted in nostalgia and space, Mourning Doves leans into the softer edges of folk, slowcore, and ambient Americana—anchored by Howard’s delicate voice, hazy acoustics, and a deep emotional current that flows throughout the record.
The EP’s lead single, “Antique Mall,” sets the tone with gentle synths and wistful storytelling—meditating on the ways we collect and cling to memories, and how the past continues to color our identity even as life moves forward. Its accompanying video is filled with warm, vintage imagery that mirrors the song’s emotional pull: a flickering, liminal space between memory and reality.Howard describes the creative inspiration for Mourning Doves as stemming from Killers and Stars, the lo-fi solo release by Patterson Hood (of Drive-By Truckers). “It wasn’t just the songs on that record, but how they were recorded that stuck with me,” says Howard. “I was drawn to the intimacy of that sound, the feeling of being right there in the room with the artist.” With that intention, Howard gathered a small group of close collaborators—Tyler Scurlock, Noa Jamir, and Quinn Bankston—to record live in Scurlock’s living room. That raw, present energy became the foundation of the EP.
The title track, “Mourning Doves,” was the first recorded in this way, and its live take—with a later fiddle overdub from Mac—captured the physical atmosphere of the room itself. That natural reverb, the creaks and stillness in the air, became a subtle yet essential layer of the album’s sonic identity. Each song that followed was recorded with that same spirit, prioritizing authenticity over perfection.
Across five songs, Mourning Doves gently moves through memories, relationships, and the complicated emotional terrain that comes with growing and letting go. Tracks like “Hold Your Name” unfold with soft vulnerability, while the piano-driven instrumental “Helen’s House” creates a moment of wordless reflection. On “Space Between,” Howard crafts a full narrative arc, drawing out the feeling of emotional distance between people who still care deeply. The EP closes on the slow-burning title track—a moment of quiet reckoning and grace. Though Sleep Habits has always been Howard’s personal project, collaboration is central to its spirit. Over the years, he’s worked with a range of fellow indie musicians including Mariah Houston (Trinkets and Horses), Wesley Wollfe (Bedridden), Quinn Pilgrim, and longtime contributor hemlock, who’s been featured on every Sleep Habits release. What started with solo recordings on a hand-me-down Korg D1600mkII has gradually evolved into something bigger: a living, breathing project defined by both individual vision and communal warmth.
Mourning Doves represents a new chapter—an exploration of place, sound, and feeling through the lens of time. It’s a collection of songs that sat quietly on the back burner as life changed, waiting for the right moment to be brought into the light. And now, shaped by that passing time, they’ve found their home.
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