The collection of songs was written for a forthcoming theatrical piece. Whisper House marks Sheik's first solo album since 2006's critically-acclaimed White Limousine and comes on the heels of the success of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening for which Sheik collaborated with lyricist Steven Sater and composed an original score.

Described by Variety as "the most startling and exciting rock tuner to hit the boards since 'Rent'," Spring Awakening won eight Tony awards, with Sheik earning two Tony awards for "Best Orchestration" and "Best Original Score" as well as a Grammy award for "Best Musical Show Album." In February, Sheik will embark on a nationwide tour featuring original Spring Awakening cast member Lauren Pritchard.

On Whisper House, Sheik employs a narrative approach to songwriting, combining elements of the chamber pop that first brought him critical and commercial acclaim. Much like Spring Awakening, which the New York Times praised as a "deft blend of straight-up rock, folk and melodic pop," Whisper House is just as much a pop record as it is a musical theatre composition. Structured as a melodrama, each of the 10 songs on the album weave together to tell the story of a child's grief and spinster's longing as seen through the eyes of the ghosts that haunt the remote, World War II-era Maine lighthouse where they live. Singer-keyboardist Holly Brooke plays a prominent role alongside Sheik on several of the songs..