Half Asleep: ‘The minute hours l Les heures secondes’ and the Spaces In-Between
Half Asleep is the solo project of Brussels-based singer-songwriter Valérie Leclercq, and her sixth album, ‘The minute hours l Les heures secondes’ is out today via Humpty Dumpty Records (BE) and three:four (CH).
After more than a decade in the making, this album is a mix of long-time friends, experimentation, and a lot of patience.
It’s a bold step for Half Asleep—bigger and bolder than anything before. While still grounded in Valérie’s signature guitar and piano sound, the album takes unexpected turns, adding textures of cello, layered voices, and a blend of dissonant brass and reed instruments. It’s a rich, atmospheric world that’s both intimate and expansive.
Influenced by everything from film scores and classical music to ‘80s DIY post-punk, Brazilian rhythms, and even free jazz, ‘The minute hours’ doesn’t just play with sound, but with mood. It’s like stepping into a fog, where time feels slippery and you can almost feel it slipping away. You’ll find images of cattle emerging from mist, the weight of forgotten histories, and the magnetic hum of electric pylons at night.
The “hours” in the title are a nod to medieval books of hours, and the album’s concept dives into those in-between moments—those strange times that exist between bigger events. Whether it’s small or monumental, each track explores the beauty of those fleeting, suspended moments.
Half Asleep Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Humpty Dumpty Records Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube
three:four Facebook / Bandcamp
