Alan Howard spearheads the New Orleans-based project Sleep Habits and originally started to write and record music on a hand-me-down korg D1600mkII. Howard has always been “focused on creating a sense of place, both timeless and interchangeable” and he’s influenced by creating soundscapes, dabbling in Slowcore elements, and bringing in a strain of Alt-Country.

Mourning Doves, the new EP from Sleep Habits which arrives on May 10th, 2025, is a “play on the open spaces that surround Howard as he lives out his day-to-day.” The EP puts more focus on experimenting with new recording techniques. The track and video for “Antique Mall” are out now.

Having collaborated with indie artists such as Mariah Houston (Trinkets and Horses), Wesley Wollfe (Bedridden), Noa Jamir, Quinn Pilgrim and hemlock, Howard is very focused on community.

Although writing music is primarily a solo endeavor, recording has become an invitation for friends of Sleep Habits which is “open to whatever sound or energy others bring to the song.”

Mourning Doves is a collection of older songs that Howard “kept in his back pocket” allowing them time to evolve and become more open to possibilities.