Sheykh Forever releases new full-length record

London-based musician Sheykh Forever has been creating a sound that feels caught somewhere between the faded glamour of yesteryear and the enticing sphere of the distant future. Born in Iraq, Mostafa Al writes, produces and performs music that brings together disco, heavy rock, hypnagogic indie pop and a healthy dose of funk, creating infectious tracks with a thoroughly unpredictable edge. Within the danceable rhythms and warped pop appeal however, sits a more confrontational creative vision that uses music to explore the realities of displacement, conflict and the lasting consequences of war.

After releasing a string of well-received projects over the last few years, Sheykh Forever now returns with Fire in the Master’s House, a brand new fourteen-track album that takes his genre-breaking style into politically volatile areas. Written, produced, mixed and mastered entirely at home over a four-year period, the record brings together the different strands of his musical fabric while allowing its subject matter to be emphasised throughout.

It follows a run of headline London shows, festival appearances and powerful anti-war singles released since 2024, marking another chapter in the development of an artist whose music avoids separating its infectious qualities from the ideas driving it. Across Fire in the Master’s House, the dancefloor becomes a space for confronting uncomfortable realities.; dsco rhythms and heavy electronic grooves provide the momentum, but the album’s underlying context moves through displacement, propaganda, war and survivor’s guilt.

Its perspective extends from the moment the bombing begins to the heartbreak that continues long after the immediate violence, passed from victims to their families and carried into subsequent generations. The recurring idea of a shared, destructive affliction gives the record a sense of continuity, connecting individual experiences to the wider consequences of conflict and that tension between accessibility and confrontation is central to Sheykh Forever’s sonic output.

The music draws listeners in through its rhythmic appeal, only to unsettle expectations with abrasive textures, shifting arrangements and politically charged storytelling. The record’s combination of melodic hooks and impactful production gives the release a gripping energy, with moments of pop familiarity continually interrupted by something altogether more unsettling. Kicked off by “I’m Your History,” the album stutters into focus with switching radio transmissions before settling into a bright scene of flickering instrumental notes, pulsing groove and soulful vocal leads spinning catchy vocal leads carrying poignant lyricism above the danceable arrangement.

“Ghosts!” follows with a funk-driven soundscape where snapping drums and slick guitar-driven instrumentation underpins expressive vocals, offering a lively rock-inflected jam that puts Sheykh Forever’s sonic range on full display. “Saviour” forms with woozy instrumental elements before rolling into a disco-focused outing cut with chopped vocal elements, shimmering instrumentation and joyous tone, serving up an intoxicating musical moment that’s charming and memorable from start to finish.

“Lineage (Where Is My Baby?)” continues to channel anger through a densely layered arrangements of pulsing keys, flickering between funk, distorted AM-radio pop and slick electronic grooves. Tracks like “Sleeping Dogs” leans into a bluesy scene where a downtempo beat drives staccato guitar elements, bright chords, airy flute flutters and compelling vocals while “Same Disease” flows back into a disco atmosphere where buzzy synths propel rustling drums and energising vocal performance to lay down an invigorating musical moment packed full of breezy hooks and jumpy rhythms.

With “Another Thing Coming” Sheykh Forever’s moody vocals float above pattering percussion and intricate instrumental elements while “Fields” floats into a spacey scene of stacked synth textures, soft guitar notes and intimate vocals. Closing track “Run for Cover,” featuring Daniella Baks and Louella JC reveals another side of the project’s personality by venturing further into rhythmic experimentation and off-centre pop songwriting, demonstrating Sheykh Forever’s ability to explore unexpected sonic directions, offering a retro pop-tinged finale to his superb new album.

With Fire in the Master’s House, Sheykh Forever presents stories that insist on reflection, exploring how violence reshapes lives and continues to reverberate long after its immediate events. As he continues to wrap thoughtful songwriting in engaging musical settings, he’s confirming his status as a compelling and worthwhile name in the modern music landscape and we can’t wait to see what he’s got in store next.

Listen to Fire in the Master’s House below