Tashkezar's second album, Ew'aa (‘Watch out!’) marks a significant departure from the folk sound of debut Tannura (2016), evoking the sounds of A-WA, 47Soul, TootArd, Kahareb, Bab L’Bluz and Altın Gün, but sitting in a genre truly of its own. Recorded and mixed during the pandemic in Bristol, UK, Ew'aa playfully explores themes of exclusion, exile, repression and illusion.

Inspired by events in Egypt and across the globe over the past decade, Mariam Ali’s vocals dance a line between fatalism and hope, exploring the juncture at which we all face loss and great challenges. Opening track Ew’aa! calls out the cognitive dissonance of viewing the world through rose-tinted glasses, whilst Sahsah! emboldens us to soldier on, dancing in the face of adversity. Ya Gharib describes feeling and being made to feel out of place in a land not of one’s own choosing. Kullu Mamnou mocks a state of repression where even to live becomes a subversive act, liable to be silenced. Yet I Don’t Believe and Mumkin somehow find love and hope between the cracks of identities fractured by suppression and exile.

Ew'aa collides Middle Eastern Bouzouki, Strings and Percussion with Funk Bass and Horn Section, Synths and Ali's soaring layered vocals. Building on their grounding in Mediterranean folk, Tashkezar have imbibed the sounds of their favourite funk records from 70s Turkey and dance hits from 80s and 90s Egyptian pop, to create a unique new sound.